The decision to use the atom bomb had a few moral dilemmas for President Truman. Some of these were unleashing a new massive destructive weapon for the first time that would take the lives of thousands, but this would possibly end the war. On April 12, 1945 President Roosevelt suddenly died and Harry Truman became the president of the United States. Just after becoming president Germany had just been defeated ending the war in Europe. Also not too long after becoming president, Truman learned that the United States was developing a nuclear bomb capable of mass destruction. After the bomb was successfully tested Truman was faced with the decision on the best way to end the war, and he was required to make a decision on whether or not use this weapon on japan to bring a quicker surrender and end to the war. His moral dilemma was should he risk possible a million soldiers invading Japan or use the atomic bomb with an enormous destructive power. The allies had demanded an unconditional surrender by the Japan. The demand did say refusal would result in mass destruction, but not mentioning by any new weapons. The Japanese military refused. According to Professor Michael Rockler, “It could be assumed that with the end of the war in Europe, an invasion …show more content…
Dropping these atomic bombs would not only save American, but Japanese soldiers lives too. President Truman had made most likely the most difficult decision of his life, and that was to use nuclear weapons on Japan. His reasoning for dropping the bombs was to ultimately save the lives of soldiers on both sides rather continue the rampage on the Japanese islands. The United States was trying to take back each island one at a time, and that would require a major battle with thousands of lives lost. Japanese were willing to commit suicide for their country. The U.S. Naval ships often had kamikaze suicide pilots’
President Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the direct cause 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 taking lives of another countries innocent civilians.
In the brutal and deadly Pacific Theater of World War ll, President Truman had to make a crucial decision on whether or not to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. Some believe that Truman’s actions to drop the atomic bomb were unethical and inhumane; however, Truman was justified in his decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan due to the fact that they are our enemy, saving American lives is the first priority, and the atomic bomb will ultimately prevent Russia from gaining control of Asia.
During World War II, President Harry S. Truman ordered for an atomic bomb to be dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6th ,1945. The second and last atomic bomb to ever be dropped was in the city of Nagasaki on August 9th, 1945. Many Americans believed dropping the atomic bomb was necessary to end the war in a more timely manner, however, many others believed dropping the atomic bomb was too extreme of a measure to take against Japan. With the creation of the atomic bomb, the United States had a weapon of mass destruction that no one else yet had. Therefore, with the power the atomic bomb possessed, some people believed its use should only be used as a last resort. If Japan would not surrender during this war, then the United States would have a valid and necessary reason in using the power of an atomic bomb. For the other Americans that believed in the immediate drop of the atomic bomb, dropping it would end the war sooner, which would then decrease the amount American soldiers who would be killed during the war. Whether dropping the atomic bomb on Japan was the most ethical decision that President Truman could have ordered is still debated.
It was August 6, 1945 when the first ever atomic bomb dropped on the city of Hiroshima in Japan. Three days later, another was dropped on the city of Nagasaki, Japan, leading to the surrender of Japan in World War II. The surrender wouldn't have occurred so soon if it hadn't been for President Harry Truman’s decision to use the first ever nuclear attack on another nation. His decision had changed history and the way the world worked, now meaning that nuclear power was out there at the disposal of the United States for them to use whenever they saw fit. The decision that Truman had to make was extremely difficult decision, as he was faced with a huge ethical dilemma: whether or not to kill entire cities, in order to save millions of American
Given all these reasons, what would you have done? Had the decision been made to invade the Japanese mainland with the loss of hundred of thousands more GI’s and seamen, ask yourself this. Look around. How many of your friends, your mom, your dad, and yes, even
In 1945, World War Two was coming to an end. Following Adolf Hitler’s suicide, and Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender on May 7, 1945, the war in Europe was finally over. The allies began began postwar planning for future, as well as establishment of post-war order and peace treaties issues. America’s war wasn’t done yet as they were still fighting Japan, eventually pushing them back to their main island. The Japanese’ plans of defending themselves was a group of final decisive battles on the Japanese mainland utilizing all people in Japan to fight to death against the Americans. Fearing costly land battles,
This thought brings me to my next motive of why Truman might have dropped the bomb. I do not think Truman was unaware of the lasting effects of the atom bomb, but by the time these facts were presented to him, piled upon facts about the actual bomb and the projects supporting them, it was to late to change his decision. He needed to save face for America (which brings me to the next motive of pressure) even if it public opinion was not his main concern. Truman did not want to look soft upon the Japanese, something further consideration and negation of the plan to bomb would have caused in some officials eye's. Also, Truman and much of the rest of the nation did not like seeing the U.S. as moral failures like many other nations. Who knows what the reaction to the President's decision would have been like if he had decided to let an invasion with hundreds and thousands of our men involved take place.
“Truman stated that his decision to drop the bomb was purely military. Truman believed that the bombs saved Japanese lives as well. Prolonging the war was not an option for the President,” (ushistory.org 1). President Truman and the United States government made a fair decision by dropping the atomic bomb on the Japanese citizens in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during 1945. The bomb allowed the United States to appear more powerful and led to them influencing the rest of the world. The dropping of the atomic bomb was also a just response to the previous atrocities committed by Japan to other countries including the United States. In the long run, the bomb saved more lives that would have been lost in the war, since the bombs caused the
When the Japanese choose not to surrender President Truman makes the decision to use the atomic bomb rather than risk the 1,000,000 projected lives lost in a man to man combat war. Hiroshima was a chosen as
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 surrender were to be issued by the United States to Japan in
During WW2 Truman, the United States President at the time, was asked to make one the toughest decision in History. Choosing between dropping an atomic bomb or invading are both choices that will result in a lot of deaths. The huge diffrence between the two was who died wether it be the Japanese with the bomb, or the American soldiers with the invasion. Trumans decision was supposed to end the war sooner, hence reducing the amount of agony,deaths, stress or any other negative effects that could result in the continous war. Truman's decision on dropping the Atomic Bomb's was an efficient course of action for the Americans, but was deffinantly not the most educated decision. If I had been placed in Truman's shoes and had to make this
His reason of action supported that “his action would save American lives because the U.S military would not have to launch a costly invasion of Japan’s home islands” and not only that, he felt “justified in giving the order because he sought retaliation for the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and for the Japanese atrocities against American soldiers”. Furthermore, Japan clearly repudiated the threat of annihilation that was promised in the Potsdam Declaration. Hence, many Americans believed with the advancement of naval blockades and the addition of the trite bombings, would have brought Japan to their knees though it was never the intention of the U.S nor any of the Allies to enable such rage for six years of war. Overall, Japan condemned surreptitious deaths to defend their home lands so the decision of Truman dropping the atomic bombs were
The decision to drop the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was the hardest decision for President Truman to make. He had the power right there in his hands to end the war but he would have to unleash the most powerful weapon known to man, at this time. Everyone was very tired of fighting but the Japanese would not give up so Truman decided to drop it. Even though we told Japan that if they did not surrender we would completely demolish some of their cities, they did not listen and they did not surrender. Maybe they did not think about what kind of weapons we would use because
President Truman has to make one of the hardest decisions of all time. He had to decide whether it was better to use a weapon of mass destruction, or let the war end on its own. Ultimately, his decisions to use the atomic bomb and end the war was the correct and most ethical decision. This decision was an ethical one because America gave the Japanese ample warning, it saved countless America lives, and it was payback for Pearl Harbor.
President Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the direct cause 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 taking lives of another countries innocent civilians.