The Pros And Cons Of The Atomic Bomb

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Seventy-two years after we dropped the first one, the atomic bomb and the choice to drop two of them on Japan is still debated today. Was it a just decision? Could it have been avoided? Was the decision rushed? Was the dropping of the bombs necessary? The answers to these questions depend on who you ask. If I was given the option to drop the atomic bomb, I wouldn’t have done it the same way as Truman, although I do understand why he did given the details surrounding his choice. When Truman was first given the details of the atomic bomb, he had been president no more than half an hour. He was told Roosevelt had already authorized the dropping of the bomb before his death. Truman writes, “I was still stunned by Roosevelt’s death and by the …show more content…

yet. The Japanese were willing to give up their lives for their country. They “...were self-proclaimed fanatic warriors who...preferred death to defeat in battle.” The Japanese were not going to surrender following the Germans. It can be argued the Germans weren’t quite as dedicated as the Japanese. Truman mentions how he implored the Japanese to surrender in his speech announcing the surrender of the Germans. He remembers being “...not too surprised when they refused.” Through the eyes of Truman, I acknowledge the fact that he believed this was the only way to stop the Japanese and save American lives. I believe dropping the atomic bomb was essential to making sure other countries knew the power of this weapon and ensuring a weapon of this magnitude would never be used again. Although I believe this, I also think the U.S. could have dropped the bomb on an uninhibited island. This would have still shown the destructive force of this weapon, but wouldn’t have killed as many people or poisoned them with radiation. I also feel the U.S. wasn’t entirely to blame. We gave the Japanese a (vague) warning and they chose to not heed it. I consider the idea that is we had not used the

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