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Why Did Truman Sell The Atomic Bomb?

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World War II began in 1941 and was fought until 1945. World War II was a very destructive war because of the new technologies that were used. The newest invention created by the United States during the war was the atomic bomb. There were three atomic bombs that were secretly developed under the code name the Manhattan Project. When the Japanese were resisting surrender President Truman had a huge decision to make on whether or not to use the bombs. Both of the remaining bombs ended up being released on Japan. The first one to be released was dropped on Hiroshima then the second one was dropped on Nagasaki. It was necessary for President Truman to drop the atomic bombs on Japan to provoke them into unconditionally surrendering because he wanted …show more content…

“The Japanese military command rejected the request for unconditional surrender, but there were indications that a conditional surrender was possible” (The Decision to Drop the Bomb). One of the reasons why Truman was leaning towards releasing the bomb was because he wanted the war to come to a speedy end. “…the invasion of Japan could have resulted in the death of twice as many Americans as had already been killed in the European, North African and Pacific theaters”(Forbes. Miller, Henry). Truman wanted the war to come a speedy end not just because of how long it had been going on for but because of how many American lives had been taken. “The federal government spent about $350 billion during World War II – or twice as much as it had spent in total for the entire history of the U.S. government up to that point” (U.S. Economy and Industry During World War II). Truman also wanted it to end quickly because of how much money had been spent during the …show more content…

It was also a more effective than sending in U.S. soldiers to fight against Japanese soldiers. If US soldiers were to be sent in to fight against Japanese soldiers there would have been a lot more casualties. “The atomic bombings probably did play a part in averting a bloody ground invasion and saving thousands of US lives…” (ABC News). President Truman wanted to prevent as many more soldiers on our side from dying. “Truman was committed to achieving this goal as quickly and with as few casualties as possible” (U.S. History). Truman wanted to achieve his goal of winning the war as soon as possible and without any more

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But he had no compelling reason to do so. The bomb provided a promising way to bring about a prompt Japanese surrender without the disadvantages of other alternatives, and in Truman’s mind, its use did not require a lengthy consideration” (Walker pg. 96). After the bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, people decided that the bombs were actually required. The people thought that if the bombs weren’t dropped, thousands of American lives would have died while America invaded Japan. The problem with this logic is that many people died in those bombings.

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As stated in document A, President Truman believed that it was his duty as president to use every weapon available to save American lives. By making the decision to employ atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it successfully brought an end to World War II. Now, while these bombs did ultimately spare thousands of American lives, it did also put an end to about 200,000 lives as shown in document E. Document A stated that Admiral William Leahy, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, opposed using the bomb because it killed civilians indiscriminately. He believed that an economic blockade and conventional bombing would convince Japan to surrender. As an opposite end of the spectrum though Truman’s advisor, James Byrnes thought that the use of “the A-bombs would not only cause Japan to surrender, but also impress the Soviet Union, and hopefully stop its expansion” (Doc C).

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1. Source B mentions that the reason for Truman dropping the bomb was to save American lives, but it was a speech to the nation. Source A transmits a completely different message. It mentions that “the end of Japanese war no longer depended upon the pouring in of [the Russian] armies.” They way this phrase is interpreted is that Truman dropped the bomb because he no longer wanted the help of the Soviets so he didn’t have to share the reward, which was Tokyo.

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Sure, Truman may have realized that he might be able to “put down” the Soviet Union and force the Japanese to surrender, sort of a kill two birds with one stone. However, implying that this was the impelling reason for President Truman wanting to drop the bomb is absurd. Two major pieces of evidence used in this argument are the fact that the Soviet Union’s entry into the war almost certainly pressured the Japanese into surrender, and that General Dwight D. Eisenhower asked Secretary of War Henry L Stimson personally to not drop the bomb while at Potsdam. With the Soviet Union’s entry into the war, it was only likely that Japan would surrender. If they didn’t, that would still lead to Operation Downfall, and that was not an option President Truman wanted.

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