Americas Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb Essay - 2960 Words

Perhaps the most controversial and heavily scrutinized issue of the twentieth century was President Harry Truman’s decision to unleash atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the summer of 1945. While the sequence of events preceding that fateful summer morning of August 6,1945 are fully understood, the motives behind Truman’s actions are shrouded in controversy. Top military officials publicly denounced the use of such a horrendous weapon, while the obvious advantages to the bomb, traditionalists argue, was a shortened Pacific War. Parallactic views between traditional beliefs and revisionist theories suggest that the issue is still very much unresolved. Why is the issue so hotly debated? Partially because of the overwhelming†¦show more content†¦In addition: â€Å"The Japanese army was already training its civilians to fight with sharpened bamboo poles†¦[By] using sharpened pikes the Japanese could easily prevent a military government from being effec tive in those towns which the U.S. captured.† The real predicament involving the invasion of Japan was the fierce resistance expected during and after the assault. Because of such drastic Japanese resistance, it would not only be impractical, it would be senseless to launch an attempt to invade and occupy Japan. Thus, dropping the atomic bomb was a military necessity in order to prevent a disastrous and precarious land invasion. By avoiding a highly questionable land invasion, the bomb saved â€Å"half a million† American lives. In his personal diary, Truman wrote, â€Å"General Marshall told me that it might cost half a million American lives to force the enemy’s surrender on his home grounds.† This estimate was based on previous battle figures at Okinawa, where Americans suffered 50,000 casualties despite outnumbering the Japanese by two and a half to one. Indeed, if Truman opted toShow MoreRelatedThe Atomic Bomb Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki1445 Words   |  6 PagesOn August 6th and 9th two atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The two bombings were the first and only time nuclear weaponry has been used in wartime. These bombs were the first of their kind, developed by the United States, Canada and Great Britain under the research development plan codenamed the ‘Manhattan Project. It is an important issue because there is much controversy over whether or not the atomic bombs should’ve been initially been dropped. 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