In 1945, the United States made a fateful decision: to drop not just one, but two atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. These decisions would spur debate amongst historians for the next sixty-nine years and will most likely continue to do so for some time. One historian, J. Samuel Walker, wrote a book on the topic entitled Prompt & Utter Destruction: Truman and the Use of Atomic Bombs Against Japan. This publication examines the decision-making process followed when the US government was contemplating dropping the atomic bomb on Japan. This book focuses especially on the new President Truman who was just coming into his presidency in 1945. This text examines the necessity of dropping the bombs on Japan and how it affected
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The devastation that was dealt by these bombs is even now unimaginable. The use of two bombs was, in my opinion a little excessive. The president could have opted to hold off for a few more weeks, in the book Prompt and Utter Destruction, the author states that the Japanese leaders were already seriously contemplating surrender (Walker, 82). They were in meetings about surrendering when they found out about Nagasaki. That being said, I am still on the fence as to whether they would have surrendered right away had the second bomb not been dropped. There was still a considerable fraction of the Japanese government that was not in favor of surrender after the first bomb (Walker, 82). They were saying that the devastation was not as bad as it had been rumored to be in order to influence their fellow governmental officials. The lack of complete support for surrender is what makes me question whether or not the second bomb should have been dropped. Hindsight is not always 20/20, I still am unsure of whether the second bomb was completely needed. However, as the president made the decision, I have a difficult time criticizing it, as it must have seemed a good decision at the
The devastation that was dealt by these bombs is even now unimaginable. The use of two bombs was, in my opinion a little excessive. The president could have opted to hold off for a few more weeks, in the book Prompt and Utter Destruction, the author states that the Japanese leaders were already seriously contemplating surrender (Walker, 82). They were in meetings about surrendering when they found out about Nagasaki. That being said, I am still on the fence as to whether they would have surrendered right away had the second bomb not been dropped. There was still a considerable fraction of the Japanese government that was not in favor of surrender after the first bomb (Walker, 82). They were saying that the devastation was not as bad as it had been rumored to be in order to influence their fellow governmental officials. The lack of complete support for surrender is what makes me question whether or not the second bomb should have been dropped. Hindsight is not always 20/20, I still am unsure of whether the second bomb was completely needed. However, as the president made the decision, I have a difficult time criticizing it, as it must have seemed a good decision at the