How Did Truman's Decision In Dropping The Atomic Bomb

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On August 6th, 1945, the Enola Gay took off with a package that marked a controversial day in history and the turning point in war. A large mushroom-shaped cloud appeared over Hiroshima, Japan at approximately 9:15 in the morning and began its destruction. This was the first atomic bomb to be dropped. Shortly after the two bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the surrender of Japan marked the ending of World War II. Although Harry Truman, American President, made a controversial decision that led to the start of the nuclear age, he made a stop to the Second World War. Since then, his decision has been subject to debate due to the high civilian deaths that were caused by the bombs. Truman’s decision in dropping the atomic bomb against Japan was …show more content…
After the Battle of Okinawa with more than 150,000 casualties, America pictured a bloody preview of the invasion of Japan. To avoid the mass number of fatality, Truman believed in order to save his military, the dropping of the atomic bomb was necessary. In his 1955 memoirs, Truman strongly believes dropping the bomb saved half a million American lives. World War II, which caused more than 50 million casualties, making it the most destructive war had similar deaths as the Pacific War. Although the dropping of the atomic bomb was used to end the war, it was also to limit to number of casualties. As the President, Truman’s duty is to protect his citizens and by following that command, proceeding with the atomic bomb was one way in limiting the number of casualties of American military. Not only would preventing the invasion of Japan save the American casualties, it would help Japan as well. During the war, the Japanese government restricted the amount of food intake by its civilians for the sake of the war. As stated in the article, Lakeland Ledger, “Many people would have starved if the atom bomb had not been dropped. There is a possibility that the Japanese military would have sacrificed the entire nation” Truman had the right idea and estimates in ‘saving’ lives when dropping the bomb. Although in Hiroshima and Nagasaki the bombardment affected innocent civilians, the death toll was still lower than the estimate if the invasion occurred. Despite the debates in the use of the atomic bombs, the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were justified in saving and limiting the number of casualties

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