Supporting Evidence

"The United States political and military leaders decided to use the newly developed atomic weapons in August 1945 to end the war with Japan. Up to that point the war with Japan had been very costly and many Americans had lost their lives. A continuation of the war would involve a land invasion of mainland Japan which military leaders estimated could cost 500,000 American lives. With this in mind, President Harry Truman gave the final approval to drop the bombs."
     Truman was under great moral pressure, as he was in a moral dilemma, in his decision to drop the atomic bombs. Ultimately, it was his duty as the president to protect American lives. During the war, U.S. soldiers were being tortured as they were forced to participate in death marches, kill each other, and be buried alive. The Bataan Death March is an example of the torturous behavior the Japanese exhibited. Captured U.S. soldiers were forced to march 65 miles, starving and exhausted, and they were beaten if they fell out of place. Approximately 415,000 American lives were lost in the time the the United States was in the war, so, without the dropping of the atomic bomb the country would have stayed in the war and the death toll would have, at least, doubled. 


"The cost of World War 2 was more than all of the wars that the U.S. was involved in put together. It cost about 300 billion dollars to fight in this war; to stay in it would’ve depleted the U.S. of money and resources. Metal, gasoline, and other natural resources would’ve been used up and the U.S. might not have been able to win the war."
     The dropping the atomic bomb, also saved us money and resources. If we continued in the war and decided not to drop the bomb we would have been in a much longer war using more supplies and money. If we were to run out of our supplies we would have lost the war along with many soldiers. It already left the economy bad that we had to spend 300 billion dollars to just fight in it. So if we spent a longer time the price would just go higher and higher leaving the U.S. in an economic crisis. 


 "Immediate use of the bomb convinced the world of its horror and prevented future use when nuclear stockpiles were far larger."
     The dropping of the atomic bomb saved the world from further destruction. Even the atomic bomb dropped in 1945 created devastating effects that have lasted far into future with the science and technology that has been discovered in todays era, the effects of an atomic weapon we could create now would have unimaginable power. America's use of the bomb also created power for the country, as it was the first successful attempt at using such hazardous machinery. The destruction that hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, were a warning sign to other countries that the U.S. was not going to hesitate in a time of war. 


"An invasion of Japan would have caused casualties on both sides that could easily have extended the death toll at Hiroshima and Nagasaki."
     Truman said "it seems to be the most terrible thing ever discovered, but it can be made the most useful" in regard to the atomic bomb. Even though Truman's decision to drop the bombs was based mainly on what would benefit the United States, he still had a moral decision. He knew that the atomic bombs would instantly kill many innocent Japanese citizens that lived in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, the use of the atomic bomb was the most efficient because more American and Japanese lives would have been lost fighting. The atomic bomb could very well be one of the most terrible things invented, but the use of them ended the war within a few days instead of the countless days the war would have continued with the United States and Japanese fighting each other.


"The Japanese had demonstrated near fanatical resistance, fighting to almost the last man on pacific Islands, committing mass suicide on Saipin and unleashing Kamikaze attacks at Okinawa. Fire bombing had killed 100,000 in tokyo with no discernable political effect. Only the atomic bomb could jolt Japans leadership to surrender." 
     Before the U.S had officially decided to  drop a second atomic bomb on Japan Truman gave Japan a chance to surrender, but they declined so he proceeded with the plain to drop the bomb. Even after the two bombs had been dropped most of the political leaders were not ready to surrender. The emperor of Japan realized America's power and that without surrendering they would lose the war. The fact that Japan surrendered to the United States shows that the United States had superior strength. The devastating effects that the atomic bombs left on Japan instilled fear in other countries of the United States.


"The Allies threatened Japan with 'prompt and utter destruction' if the nation did not surrender unconditionally, but the Japanese did not reply. Truman then ordered the military to drop the bomb."
     The argument that Truman's decision to use an atomic weapon is immoral and inhumane can be seen as unacceptable. The United States gave Japan fair warning that without Japan's complete surrender, a devastating "destruction" would occur. Japan choose not to answer the United states, leaving Truman no choice but to strike Japan with the atomic bomb. Three days later Truman struck Japan again leaving Japan in ruins. 

Introduction

     When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, their intent was to bring the war onto U.S. soil. This would have prolonged the war, depleted the U.S. of money and resources, and killed many American lives; it is estimated that millions more Americans would have died if the war continued. Ultimately, Truman was justified in dropping the atomic bombs because he saved the country from chaos and economic trouble.

History of the Event

    Between August 1939 and December 1941, Roosevelt’s primary goal was to help Britain and its allies defeat Germany. One of the major problems Britain faced was the need to keep most of its navy in Asia to protect British territory from Japanese attack. In July 1940, Congress passed the Export Control Act which gave Roosevelt the power to restrict the sale of strategic materials to other nations. He responded quickly and reduced the amount of oil being shipped to Japan. Since 80% of Japan’s oil came from the United States, the Japanese were infuriated and formally joined an alliance with Germany and Italy forming the Axis Powers. Roosevelt made it clear that he would lift the oil embargo only if Japan made peace. The Japanese government appeared to be continuing negotiations with the United States, however, they were planning to attack Pearl Harbor.

     On the morning of December 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. The Japanese destroyed 20 American naval vessels and 200 airplanes. The day after the assault Congress approved President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s declaration to declare war on Japan. More than two years in the conflict, American had finally joined World War II.

     In the fall of 1943, the United States launched its island-hopping policy, which is the means of crossing an ocean by a series of shorter journeys between islands, as opposed to a single journey directly across the ocean. The objective was to conquer the Mariana Islands because from the airfields in the Marianas the new bombers, B-29s, could bomb Japan. Despite what American military planners had thought, when the B-29s went to bomb Japan it was simply too far away and the planes did not have enough fuel to their navigational errors or to adjust for high winds. The solution was to capture an island closer to Japan. On February 19, 1945, the United States Marines successful invaded Iwo Jima.

     The goal of the United States was to make Japan surrender, however, it was believed that Japan would not surrender until Japan had been invaded. To prepare for the invasion, the United States needed a base near Japan to stockpile supplies and build up troops (Iwo Jima was too small and too far away). American troops invaded Okinawa on April 1, 1945 and by July 22, 1945 the United States had gained the territory.



     Shortly after the United States captured Okinawa the Japanese emperor urged his government to find a way to end the war but the biggest the problem was the American demand for unconditional surrender. Many Japanese leaders were willing to surrender only if the emperor stayed in power. American officals knew that the fate of the emperor was the most important issue for the Japanese, however, many Americans blamed the emperor for the war and wanted him removed from power. President Truman was reluctant to go against public opinion. Furthermore, he knew that the United States was almost ready to test the new weapon of the atomic bomb that might force Japan to surrender without any conditions. The Allies threatened Japan with “prompt and utter desctruction” if the nation did not surrender unconditionally. The Japanese did not respond and between August 6 and August 9, 1945, two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan; “Little Boy” was dropped on Hiroshima and “Fat Man” was dropped on Nagasaki.