Harry Trumans Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb - 1314 Words

To what extent was Harry Truman’s decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki justified? A. Plan of Investigation Research Question: To what extent was Harry Truman’s decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki justified? This investigation assesses President Harry Truman’s decision to drop atomic bombs on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It will determine whether or not his decision was justified. This investigation will scrutinize the reasons that made Harry Truman feel inclined to drop atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Preventing further casualties along with the desire to end the war are two argumentative points that will be analyzed to determine if they were strong enough to justify the dropping†¦show more content†¦Thus the value to this source is very high, as the illustration of Harry Truman’s mindset is not altered by an opinion, yet based on factual evidence. One limitation this source retains is that Walker really only mentions the reasons why the bombing should happen, not why the atomic bombing should have not actually taken place, eliminating a whole other side of the story. D. Analysis As the war continued and violence escalated, bombings caused enormous destruction and high death tolls, leading inevitably to the use of the atomic bombs. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki represented a culmination in the destructiveness of bombings, not a significant deviation from previous bombing practices. The alternatives to the use of the atomic bomb were likely to have caused equal suffering for the Japanese people. The use of the atomic bomb was no less moral than these horrific wartime practices. Harry Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan was justified by Japan’s refusal to immediately surrender. Harry Truman gave the Japanese time to surrender in order to preserve the existence of their people. They did not comply and as a result endured the consequences. (Walker) Yet an alternate perspective states that it was quite unnecessary to drop the Atomic Bombs in that Japan was practically an already defeated opponent. If a conditional surrende r were to be issued by the United States to Japan inShow MoreRelatedHarry S. Trumans Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb1857 Words   |  7 Pages President Harry S. Truman was confronted with a difficult decision on August 3, 1945 that would drastically change the history of the United States. President Truman decided to drop two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in order to end World War II and the U.S. would soon meet another formidable enemy with the beginnings of The Cold War. The Cold War developed anti- and pro-Communist views, shifting the United States’ focus towards defeating Communism and its supportersRead MoreTruman and Atomic Bombs649 Words   |  3 Pagesare to take a side and then write an editorial on Harry S Truman’s decision to order the dropping of the atom bomb. HARRY S TRUMAN amp; THE DECISION TO ORDER THE DROPPING OF THE ATOMIC BOMB Boom! Boom! Seventy thousands Japanese citizens were perished instantly after the first atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Japanese still refused to surrender to Allied forces. On August 9, 1945, with the dropping of the second atomic bomb in Nagasaki, where eighty thousands people wereRead MoreEssay Pres, Truman Atomic Bomb Decision1421 Words   |  6 PagesPresident Trumans Decision to drop the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki During World War II the war in Europe ended after the unconditional German surrender at General Eisenhowers Headquarters in Reims, France, May 7, 1945. 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The United States will always try to avoid the loss of American civilians at all costs, even if that means takingRead MoreAtomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Essay879 Words   |  4 PagesPresident Trumans decision to drop the atomic bomb on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the direct caus e for the end of World War II in the Pacific. The United States felt it was necessary to drop the atomic bombs on these two cities or it would suffer more casualties. Not only could the lives of many soldiers have been taken, but possibly the lives of many innocent Americans. The United States will always try to avoid the loss of American civilians at all costs, even if that means takingRead MoreThe Atomic Bombs : The Justification1038 Words   |  5 PagesThe Atomic Bombs; The Justification One of the most controversial and heavily scrutinized issue of the twentieth century was President Harry S. Truman’s decision to unleash atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The motives behind Truman’s actions are shrouded in controversy as top military officials publicly denounced the use of such a disastrous weapon. There is overwhelming evidence supporting both sides of the decision, as historians are split in opinion. The United States had beenRead MoreHarry S. Trumans Accomplishments: Dessegregation and Hiroshima1731 Words   |  7 PagesThe actions and decisions made by the United States President, leader of the free world, are subject to be analyzed, scrutinized, and debated for the rest of eternity. These decisions are how that man will be judged. Out of the 44 men to hold this honored position, one man, Harry S. Truman, made several proclamations such as the institution of Desegregation in the US Military, the dropping the atomic bombs, and the d eclaration of the Martial Law, which forever changed our society and the world