Harry S. Truman in WWII: Right Decision or Massive Killing

It is clear to most that Harry S. Truman was thrown into making monumental decisions that impacted the lives of many. In fact, one decision impacted the lives of people across the world. On August 6, 1945, under the command of President Harry S. Truman, an American B-29 bomber dropped the first deployed atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Between this bomb and then the next bomb that followed three days later, approximately 120,000 people were killed along with many others dying shortly after from radiation exposure. Although many people were killed or injured from this intense tactic, many lives were also saved from an ongoing battle across the world, so I agree with Harry S. Truman crucial decision and in the essay I will explain why. 

Although the Americans were in the race late on the atomic bomb research, they sure were not late in the race to use this new technology during war. After being advised from multiple scientists from Europe, who feared that Germany had started working on nuclear weapons in the early 1930s, Franklin D. Roosevelt gave permission to start the research. In 1939, the Manhattan Project was started, a classified project to explore and build the new technology brought to our attention. While Harry Truman knew nothing of the plan, in the beginning, he would later use the project to our country’s advantage. About two weeks after Franklin Roosevelt died and Harry Truman was taking office in 1945, Truman became aware of the project.

Overall many things played into Truman's decision to use the atomic bomb. After realizing that although Japan was not going to win, and they were going to give up either, Truman also realized he had four options. Option one was to continue the conventional bombing of Japanese cities. The next option was to invade Japan. He could have also used a bomb on an unpopulated island. Lastly, he could drop a bomb on a Japanese city. Many of Truman’s advisors told him it would be a bad idea to invade Japan. The option to invade, also known as operation downfall, appealed to many and was deeply considered. It could have been one way for the Allies to show their dominance and strength, but when it came to the number of soldiers we could have lost, the answer was clear. We had come so far in the war effort why would we risk losing such a large number of loyal soldiers who had fought and/or put towards the war effort. In order to effectively end the war with Japan, it was decided, the five-ton atomic bomb would be used.

When Truman decided to use the atomic bomb, he carefully planned it out. While deciding where to drop the bomb, it was placed to hit more of the Japanese military in comparison to citizens. While choosing the target, the number of people and buildings were taken into large consideration and became an immense factor in the final decision. Workers, factories, business, and families also played a huge role in the decision. The overall goal was to destroy Japan’s chance to keep fighting in the war, and not to create casualties of citizens or ruin their culture.

The decision was finally made and there were two targets: Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The first bomb was dropped on August 6. 1945 on Hiroshima, Japan. The first bomb killed approximately 120,000 people total, some immediately, others would follow from being exposed to radiation. August 6, 1945, has gone down as a day in history, on this day the first and only deployed atomic bomb was used in war. The second bomb was dropped three days later, on August 9, 1945, on Nagasaki, Japan killing an estimated 40,000 people. The first use of a nuclear weapons, conducted by the United States, was known as the Trinity Project.

On August 15, 1945, the Japanese government released a statement declaring that they would accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, therefore surrendering. On September 2, 1945, the United States accepted Japan’s formal surrender. After WWII proved to be the most disastrous international conflict and taking the lives of many, the war was finally over. The Allies had won, although not without a devastating loss of many.

While I do see that our President Harry Truman had many options to end the war, I do understand why he chose this one in particular. If we had not used our newly found nuclear technology, there is a large chance we would have lost many of our loyal soldiers. Truman made a decision that would keep the American people safe, and that would undoubtedly end the war. I think that for being thrown into the presidency at such a hard time is not a task that could be prepared for. Harry Truman was thrown into making decisions not only for his country but for the Allied forces as well.

If it had not been for the tough decision that had to be made, many more of our citizens would not be here today. Many husbands, brothers, uncles, friends, and future fathers that came home would not have been able to come home from WWII. This war had already impacted our country plenty, if we had used a plan close to operation downfall or not brought the war to an end, the United States of America would look a lot different than it does today. I think President Harry S. Truman made a decision with his country in mind, and it was the right one.

Reference

• History.com. (2018a, August 21). Manhattan Project. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/the-manhattan-project
• History.com. (2018b, October 11). Harry Truman. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/harry-truman
• History.com. (2019a, February 25). Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-dropped-on-hiroshima
• History.com. (2019b, February 27). Truman is briefed on Manhattan Project. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/truman-is-briefed-on-manhattan-project
• History.com. (2019c, March 15). Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki
• History.com. (2019d, March 14). World War II. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/world-war-ii-history