The Pros And Cons Of Dropping The Atomic Bombs

Some skeptics argue that President Truman dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, which he knew was on the verge of defeat, to intimidate the Soviet Union in an already developing Cold War. Also, others believe that two atomic bombs weren’t necessary; instead, one was more than enough. However, facts prove that using the atomic bombs were the lesser of two evils. To prove such beliefs, I will use the six criteria for just war. The first criteria (legitimate authority) ensures that war isn’t waged for private ends, but for those of the majority. Since the United States entered the war to ensure the security of both the homeland and the free-world after being devastated by Japanese aggression, it met the criteria of legitimate authority, and right intention. In continuation, one of the key elements of the second criterion (just cause) justifies war if its purpose is to right some wrong. With that in mind, since the purpose of dropping the atomic bombs was to end a war (after Japan attacked, and heavily damaged U.S. Navy), one can say that vengeance is a justifiable cause of war. Dropping the atomic bomb was about more than just vengeance however, it was a “last resort” action taken to ensure the “proportionality” of the war. You see, because the Japanese clung to the notion of Ketsu-go (even when in the brink of defeat), they would have never given up. Consequently, the U.S. felt it had no choice but to use the atomic bombs to make Japan accept defeat. If they hadn’t done so, all viable scenarios to secure American victory (including a ground invasion) would have meant significantly greater American casualties, allied casualties, prisoner of …show more content…
In addition, because the use of atomic weapons met the standards imposed by the criterion of war, it was