Trumans Decision to Drop the Atomic Bombs on Japan - Research Paper Example

Module To what extent was Truman’s decision to drop the Atomic Bombs on Japan in World War II justified? A: Plan of Investigation Before August 6 1945, atomic bombs had never been used in war, and no one had an idea of the magnitude of their destructive capability. President Truman was the first person to authorize their use following Japan's hesitation in surrendering; japan had rejected the United States’ terms of surrender. The Japanese wanted to retain emperor Hirohito, and retain their ability to wage war, as opposed to the United States requirement that required surrender of the emperor, and denied japan its ability to participate in any form of military combat. The first atomic bomb was dropped over Hiroshima by a B-29 war craft on august 6 1945, resulting in the destruction of the city and instant deaths of over 90,000 people. It is still not clear why japan hesitated in surrendering after the damage and carnage in Hiroshima as the Truman administration did not give them much time to respond. On august 9 1945, the second atomic bomb was dropped over Nagasaki, a secondary target, to avoid poor visibility due to bad weather in Kokura, the primary target. The bombing of Nagasaki resulted in over 60,000 instant deaths. The Truman administration was planning on further attacks, but japan surrendered 5 days after Nagasaki bombing. These actions exposed Truman to sharp criticism, with many people referring to the bombings as barbaric. The main aim of this report is to use various primary and secondary sources to determine the level to which Truman’s actions were justified. Primary sources include official documents, eyewitness accounts and excerpts from harry Truman’s speeches and diaries, and secondary sources include textbooks and journal articles supporting or opposing Truman’s actions. B: Summary of Evidence The Second World War was ending in Europe when Nazi Germany surrendered in May 1945, causing the war to shift on Asia due to Japan's hesitation to surrender. The Japanese wanted to surrender; only that it was conditional, as they wanted to retain possession of home islands and to retain their emperor. This showed the United States the defiance that had come to be associated with the Japanese, who had committed many crimes against humanity in endless wars and massacres1. In any case, the American public was getting weary of war and Truman wanted to conclude it to prevent the countless deaths that were happening at the hands of the Japanese2. In addition, Truman was not enjoying the public perception that he was too soft on the Japanese3. Russia had the intentions of taking over the Japanese territory and something had to be done about it; and Truman figured that the United States had to show its power to the world to prevent the Soviet Union from emerging as the world’s super power4. Truman thought that if Russia gained any more power than it had, then it would resort to enforcement, spread and strengthening of communism5. The atomic bombs seemed to be the ideal tool to show America's superiority over the Soviet Union; and Truman showed the Soviet Union that he had the bombs and was ready to use them6. Japan only acted as a demonstration board since the United States was neither in good terms with japan, nor with the soviet union. However, Truman did not expect to cause deaths of innocent civilians, in fact, he believed that the two cities he ordered bombed were military bases7. In addition, Japan, USSR, and Germany were developing nuclear weapons; it was only a matter of the country that could use theirs first, which was mainly the reason why the United States joined hands with Canada and United Kingdom to pursue the Manhattan project8. To avoid the possibility of a nuclear war, Truman decided to use the means at his disposal to instill fear to the other countries developing the weapons. The other reason cited for Truman's use of the atomic bombs was to end the war as quickly as possible so that he could save countless of lives, including American9, Japanese, and those in other countries. He figured that a few Japanese lives, combined with the fear the bombs would instill were enough factors to ensure that the world had everlasting peace. In the Truman administration, some scientists were against the use of the products of the Manhattan project in war due to their unpredictability and the potential of the damage they may cause10. Some scientists never thought the administration would use the bomb; rather, they thought that the bombs would be used to sink an island only as a demonstration, but not to kill people with them11. These scientists working in for the Manhattan project resigned12 their jobs in protest, but the damage had already been done with the discovery and purification of polonium 239 and uranium 23513. The uranium 235 bomb was previously tested in the Mexican desert14 as he trinity project, and was found to be effective; though the ‘little boy’ and ‘fat man’ were the first and last atomic bombs to be used in war. C: Evaluation of Sources Authors take different approaches when dealing with Truman's decision to use atomic bombs on Japan. Two sources are discussed in this section; whose authors have opposing beliefs on the matter, one suggesting that the bombing was justified while the other believes that Truman should have used other approaches. In Hiroshima: Why America Dropped the Bomb (1995), Ronald Takaki states that the invasion was justified, stating that deaths are unavoidable in war, and all opposing parties should do is to minimize civilian deaths. He insists that Truman’s decision was in line with this requirement of war since targets had more military personnel than civilians. Most of the civilians who lived in these cities had either relocated or joined the military. However, Takaki’s assertions cannot be proven, but the book an appropriate source since it deals with the atomic bombing from a historical perspective. In addition, the book gives the views of many supporters of Truman’s decision to use atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The second source is The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb and the Architecture of an American Myth (1995) by Gar Alperovitz who opposes all the justifications given by the Truman regime for the bombings. Alperovitz asserts that alternative routes should have been taken to resolve the conflict, which makes this source relevant since this opinion is held by many people in all cultures. If the alternatives Alperovitz suggests were used, maybe things would have unfolded in a better way than they did. D: Analysis There was widespread controversy in the design, assembly and use of the atomic bombs, with key decision makers not having the information necessary to make decisions of such magnitude15. Truman believed that he made the best decision in his power when he authorized the detonation of the bombs over japan. However, his aides either did not have the knowledge, or failed to give sensitive information about the bombs to Truman. However, this is no justification for what he did, and neither is it a basis to condemn him. All he ever did was play his role as the president of the United States, by doing his best to protect his people using alternatives available to him at the time. His move saved thousands, probably millions of lives all over the world who could have been tortured and probably killed by the Japanese16. The Japanese had aggravated the world to the extent that everyone was losing patience with the conglomeration of islands in Asia17. In addition, the Japanese did not think Americans would use their weapons, mostly because they did not believe the weapons existed18. This was mainly attributed to Truman’s softness when dealing with japan, something that Truman aimed to change with nuclear power. When Truman gave them the ultimatum to surrender, they wanted to do surrender on a conditional basis, as opposed to the unconditional surrender that the United States demanded19. Either the United States did not learn of Japan’s offer for conditional basis, or the United States had taken the path of taking tough stances too. Truman should have chosen less populated areas in his warning shot to minimize the number of casualties; despite Hiroshima and Nagasaki's role in the war, Truman should have considered that these towns had civilians even though in lower numbers than military personnel20. In fact, it seems like Truman wanted to test the bombs on japan since he did not give them time to respond after the first bombing. His advisers should have advised him that the first bomb cut off the town from the rest of japan, and there were delayed rescue missions that kept the Japanese busy such that they could not have responded swiftly with surrender. Truman refused to heed the advice of some scientists who were concerned about the use of atomic bombs in a war; instead, he chose to engage in superiority battles with Germany, Soviet Union and japan at the peril of innocent civilians21. It is a common opinion even among the American people that Truman should have sought alternative approaches to resolve the situation, which would have borne results though they would have taken a bit longer than the nuclear approach. For instance, the Japanese had already offered a conditional surrender, and instead of the hurried bombing, Truman should have attempted to give that approach a chance. In any case, Japanese had already been weakened by normal military action and were on the verge of surrender before Truman decided to bomb the two cities. Truman could have also made an innocent mistake in the first bombing, and the atomic bomb turned out to be more effective at causing deaths than he had anticipated. This effectiveness at mass destruction by atomic bombs motivated Truman to use the second bomb; and he allowed it to be dropped knowing the effects of the first one. Many sources claim that the power that Truman felt after the success of the first bomb made him unstoppable, as he had to use the next bomb on which the nation had invested so much resources22. It might also have been his way of convincing Germany, Russia and japan that the first bomb was not a lucky hit23. On the other hand, Truman might have wanted to confirm the effectiveness of the second bomb since the uranium 235 bombs had not been tested but effective. A question might have lingered in his mind about the plutonium 239 that had already been tested in the Mexican desert24. E: Conclusion A person may go to extremes in an attempt to defend one’s country, depending on his or her beliefs on what is right or wrong, which is what happened with Truman. The mode by which the bombs were released makes it look as if Truman intended to dispose of the bombs, only that the only that suitable target was japan. By offering a conditional surrender, japan was attempting to confirm the popular belief that Truman was too soft, something that Truman had to counter with a harsh move. Truman’s choice of target for such deadly weapon is the main point of concern. If he wanted to demonstrate to japan what an atomic bomb can do, he should have sunk one of the Japanese islands and they would have gotten the point. In addition, Truman should have pursued alternative routes and used the bombs as the last option. However, other alternatives were not feasible considering Truman’s ambition to outdo other superpowers; in any case, there would have been no use for the Manhattan project if the bombs were not to be used. Works Cited Alperovitz, Gar. The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb and the Architecture of an American Myth. New York: Knopf. 1995. Print. Argonne National Library. Letter of Einstein to Roosevelt., U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. 2 August 1939. Bernstein, Barton. “Understanding the Atomic Bomb and the Japanese Surrender: Missed Opportunities, Little-Known Near Disasters, and Modern Memory.” Diplomatic History Spring 1995: 267-268. Web. 22 February 2012. Blum, John ed., The Price of Vision: the Diary of Henry A. Wallace, 1942-1946. n.d. Web. 22 February 2012. Laurence, William. Eyewitness Account of Atomic Bomb Over Nagasaki. War Department. Bureau of Public Relations Press 9 September 1945. Web. 22 February 2012. Public Papers of the Presidents. Harry S. Truman. 1945. Web. 22 February 2012. Saeki, Toshiko. Testimony of Toshiko Saeki. n.d. Web. 22 February 2012. Sawachika, Hiroshi. Testimony of Hiroshi Sawachika. n.d. Web. 22 February 2012. Siemes, Johannes. The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima. The War times journal. n.d. Web. 22 February 2012. Takaki, Ronald. Hiroshima: Why America Dropped the Bomb. New York: Little, Brown & Company Limited. 1995. Print. Truman, Harry. Diary, July 25, 1945. Atomic bomb: Decision. Web. 22 February 2012. Truman, Harry. Memoirs: Years of Decision. Garden City: Doubleday. 1955. Print. U.S. National Archives (a). Trinity Test, Eyewitness Accounts - Kenneth Greisen, Record Group. 16 July 1945. Web. 22 February 2012. U. S. National Archives (b). Recommendations on the Immediate Use of Nuclear Weapons.. Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers. June 16, 1945. Web. 22 February 2012. Read More