What would you do if you were faced with two impossible decisions? One decision left people dead. The other decision left other people dead. Neither choice looks good, and neither choice comes out pretty. This situation is exactly what President Truman faced in the use of Atomic Bombs in WWII. He was faced with perhaps the biggest choice any man has ever had to face. War is known for being messy, dirty, and downright horrid. War is never going to be a pretty picture, despite the glamorization movies sometimes like to portray. War is horrifically, and disgustingly ugly. There is no question about it. In WWII, America was at war with some of the most powerful countries in the world. The United states and its Allies against the Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, and Japan. Japan was a main target to the United States, especially after they bombed Hawaii. The creation of the bomb up until the aftermath of the two atomic bombs that the United States dropped on Japan have changed our history and shaped our world to how it is today. In 1942, the making of the Atomic Bomb began. The efforts in fashioning the Atomic Bomb were named the Manhattan Project. The development of these nuclear weapons was the largest scientific engagement ever embarked upon. More than 100,000 scientists, including two Nobel prize-winning physicists, participated in the creation of the bomb. Three years after the embankment began, their mission was finally completed. On July 16th, 1945, scientists successfully completed the first Atom bomb test, named Trinity, which took place in Alamogordo, New Mexico. When the Japanese attacked our country, by bombing Pearl Harbor, US forces joined her allies in WWII. President Truman, in July, delivered a declaration for the surrender and peace terms for Japan. Japan entirely rejected the treaty, and Truman soon after authorized the usage of the Atomic Bomb. He had been told by the military that the potential loss of American lives would be significantly lower if the bomb was used. At 8:16 am, Tokyo time, the American B-29 bomber named the Enola Gay dropped the first Atomic Bomb on the city Hiroshima. The bomb, code-named Little Boy, demolished Japan’s seventh largest city. On the direct hit, about 80,000 people were killed and 35,000 were severely injured. By the time the year ended, another 60,000 lives were lost due to the effects of radioactivity and illnesses. These people were not only citizens but were workers as well. Of the 200 doctors in Hiroshima, 10% remained able to work. The people who didn’t die were left with next to nothing to hope for. The city was completely demolished. Radiation squeezed through every crack and cranny and choked over 100,000 lives. It is estimated that of the 90,000 buildings in Hiroshima, less than 30,000 remained. This first drop was a direct hit not only to hundreds
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Without it, thousands of American lives would have been lost. However, the moral aspect of both attacks has been dividing historians for years. Some argue that the attacks and the use of the bombs were justified because it ended the war and because less American lives were shed. To counter these ideas, other historians would argue that it was immoral to use the bombs because of the massive amount of Japanese lives that were shed. All in all, no matter what side is chosen, it is important to take into account the positives that came about. The war would not have been ended as quickly if it weren’t for the bombs. Some people forget that the Japanese’ core beliefs center around their war strategies. Their mindset is different than the American way. They inherently believe that it would be better to die fighting than to surrender. The only way that the war would have ended was if something utterly drastic took place. The atomic bomb did more than that. It detrimentally wiped out a huge population of Japan. Moreover, the Japanese were tricked into believing the United states may use yet another atomic bomb, which they could not afford. Though the most brutal use of any weapon ever known to man, the atomic bomb helped end WWII and bring peace to nations
Without it, thousands of American lives would have been lost. However, the moral aspect of both attacks has been dividing historians for years. Some argue that the attacks and the use of the bombs were justified because it ended the war and because less American lives were shed. To counter these ideas, other historians would argue that it was immoral to use the bombs because of the massive amount of Japanese lives that were shed. All in all, no matter what side is chosen, it is important to take into account the positives that came about. The war would not have been ended as quickly if it weren’t for the bombs. Some people forget that the Japanese’ core beliefs center around their war strategies. Their mindset is different than the American way. They inherently believe that it would be better to die fighting than to surrender. The only way that the war would have ended was if something utterly drastic took place. The atomic bomb did more than that. It detrimentally wiped out a huge population of Japan. Moreover, the Japanese were tricked into believing the United states may use yet another atomic bomb, which they could not afford. Though the most brutal use of any weapon ever known to man, the atomic bomb helped end WWII and bring peace to nations