Dropping the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima

“The city was hidden by that awful cloud . . . boiling up, mushrooming, terrible and incredibly tall," said Colonel Paul Tibbets, pilot of the modified B-29 bomber that dropped the world’s first atomic bomb over Hiroshima. The bombings resulted in the death of thousands, including not only Japanese citizens, forces, and military but also American captive soldiers. In the midst of World War II the United States forced Japan to surrender by dropping bombs in the major cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They released the second atomic bomb shortly after, in Nagasaki, Japan.

During World War II Americans dropped atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki killing nearly 200,000 people. This resulted in Japans surrender in World War II. J. Samuel Walker analyzes this historical event in his book Prompt and Utter Destruction: Truman and the Use of Atomic Bombs. Over the past 70 years’ extensive research has been conducted and there is an understanding that Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bombs is inconclusive. It is impossible to determine that the use of the bomb was the quickest way to end the war. An analysis of President Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb reveals one challenge: was the decision to destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki a show of good judgment.

The plane “Enola gay” dropped the massive bomb at 8:15 am. It had about the same blast of 14000-15000 tons of TNT. The bomb destroyed an incredible five square miles of land. The beautiful Hiroshima was left with nothing. They designed the bomb to END the War. The Americans didn’t realise that this weapon would actually end the war.

        August 6, 1945 defines a pivotal moment in world history. At 8:15am, the United States

Finally, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was unjustified because of the lack of testing. Although the project to design the first atomic bomb, codenamed the Manhattan Project, began in 1941, the first bomb was not ready to be tested until the month before it would be used in 1945. When it was tested at Trinity Site in New Mexico, the detonation caused unexpected results (“The Manhattan Project”). It caused “A blinding flash visible for 200 miles lit up the morning sky. A mushroom cloud reached 40,000 feet, blowing out windows of civilian homes up to 100 miles away. When the cloud returned to earth it created a half-mile wide crater metamorphosing sand into glass” (“The

In 1945 America committed an act that some consider to be one of the most destructive acts in the world. It has been questioned why America would execute the devastating dropping of the bombs, nicknamed fat man and little boy, on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War two.

The first bomb, a 9000 pound uranium-235 explosive device, was loaded into the B-29 bomber named Enola Gay was targeting Hiroshima.

I think Truman made a right decision on dropping the atomic bomb on Japan. If he didn't made that decision the war against Japan would have been lasted for another year and the causalities for both side would have been increased. We would have been wasted more money, resources and lives. By the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan; the number of death people was less and it stopped the war and the resources of Japan to fight.

August 6, 1945 was a day that would forever change the lives of the Japanese living in Hiroshima. On this day, President Truman gave the order to drop the first atomic bomb known as “Little Boy” onto the city. This city was strategically chosen due to its size, the low amount of damage it had from the war, and the high concentration of soldiers stationed there. The bomb instantly vaporized 80,000 people, and radiation sickness and burns killed another 100,000 in the years that followed. Three days later, a bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, where 80,000 Japanese perished (www.ushistory.org). Even though WWII finally came to a halt, the devastation for the people of Japan was only just beginning.

The event that I chose to discuss is the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I believe that this event is worth studying because it was the first and only time that an atomic bomb had been used in war. The significance of this event can be seen from different sides and affected not only future policies, national security, the future of energy development, and health related issues. This event is said to have ended World War II, and at the same time started the cold war. The bombs were said to have ultimately killed over 700,000 Japanese people (Nash, 2014). New medical and mental illnesses occurring due to dropping the bomb and radiation, and also starting new threats of nuclear attack throughout the world and the continued threat of creating and use of the atomic bombs. With the use of the atomic bomb, the world considered countries that had the power of the atomic bomb to be a superpower and countries like Russia wouldn’t let the U.S. be the only ones who had this power. Russia would build an atomic bomb and the threat of war was now considered to be fought with nuclear annihilation.

Research Question: Was it necessary for President Truman to drop the atomic bomb in Japan?

Hiroshima was the city in Japan that the United States dropped the atomic bomb on. The decision to drop the bomb was made by Harry S. Truman, who said that dropping the bomb was strictly military strategy. The bomb was created by Cynthia C. Kelly, who is considered the “Father of the Atomic Bomb”. He was ordered to create this bomb before Germany could so the United States would have “one leg” ahead of other countries. Truman tried to get Japan to surrender, but whenever they wouldn’t he decided to drop the bomb without warning Hiroshima that it was coming. A move that would change history for the worst.

The atomic bombing of Japan was an unjustified decision that many considered was inhumane. Through the use of atomic bombs, many innocents were harmed in one way or another. Berger described the atomic bombing of Hiroshima as "a terrorist act" and that it was "evil". While Berger 's argument was extreme, the U.S. still remains unjustified because they did not know exactly how much damage the bomb would actually cause. Bombing Japan, the U.S. harmed thousands of civilians and displayed the effectiveness of the atomic bomb despite having other options to end the war.

On the 6th of August 1945 America dropped the atomic bomb by the name of ‘Little Boy’ dropped by the plane ‘Enola Gay’ on the Japanese city, Hiroshima. Three days later on the 9th of August America dropped another bombed called, ‘Fat Man’ on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. A surrender was received and accepted by America on the 15th of August and the war against Japan had ended. Harry S. Truman, the man responsible for dropping the bombs claims it ended the war more efficiently and was in fact the best option but many suspicions arose as news from Japan came to light and the utter destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was revealed. It was never formally called a war crime but it should have been.

However, the Potsdam Proclamation issued on July 26, called for the unconditional surrender of Japan with the removal of the emperor. This was rejected as a result of Japan being unwilling to acquiesce its sovereignty, after adopting the policy of fighting within the hope of discouraging the U.S. from invasion till peace was declared. As a result, the U.S. anticipated victory would come at a costly price, and did not want to commit itself to a lengthy war. Truman estimated a potential loss of 500,000 lives; he saw the bombs will "completely destroy Japan 's power to create war...” (Harry S. Truman, 1945) The Hiroshima attack on August 6th failed to be decisive: Japan did not surrender, nor did it seemed pressured by the nuclear attack, according to the U.S. (ref)