Atomic Bomb Persuasive Essay

Given what knowledge that President Harry S. Truman had at the time I would have still dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. We had been bombing Japanese cities as early in the war as 1942. In 1945 we firebombed Tokyo killing more 80,000 people. In response to this Truman remarked, “Despite their heavy losses at Okinawa and the firebombing of Tokyo, the Japanese refused to surrender. The saturation bombing of Japan took much fiercer tolls and wrought far and away more havoc than the atomic bomb. Far and away. The firebombing of Tokyo was one of the most terrible things that ever happened, and they didn't surrender after that although Tokyo was almost completely destroyed.” (National Park Service). Since the Japanese refused unconditional surrender, Truman was left with few options. He could invade, demonstrate the power of the atomic bomb, continue bombing Japan, or drop the atomic bomb on Japan. To launch an invasion of Japan was very risky due to the nature of the …show more content…
Analyzing the options he was faced with and the ramifications that would have resulted from each, the safest bet that would save the most American lives and have the highest level of success for the US was to drop the atomic bomb. In terms of risk and reward there were less possible risks in terms of military lives and greater potential gain in terms of the Japanese surrendering. In response to hearing the news that there would be no invasion of Japan, a 21 year old lieutenant remembered “When the bombs dropped and news began to circulate that [the invasion of Japan] would not, after all, take place, that we would not be obliged to run up the beaches near Tokyo assault-firing while being mortared and shelled, for all the fake manliness of our facades we cried with relief and joy. We were going to live. We were going to grow up to adulthood after all.” (National Park