Was Dropping the Atomic Bomb a Good Decision?

Compton, K. T. (1946 ). If the atomic bomb had not been used . Atlantic Monthly , 178 (6), 54-56. 

Compton, a scientist who participated in the development and testing of the nuclear bombs of 1945, provides his opinion on the decision to drop the bombs. He reports having had interviews with some of the Japanese soldiers who survived after the bombing, to provide a clear picture of what would have happened if the bombs were never dropped. According to one of the Japanese interviewees, Japan would have never surrendered and would have fought until all Japanese were dead. Compton goes ahead to imply that there is no telling when the war would have ended. Japan looked subdued and on the verge of losing, but they were committed to fight and defend their homeland. The war could have taken a couple of more months or up to a year to end. Ultimately, more casualties would have occurred. Both Japan and the US would have had more casualties. Japan would have endured more destruction as a result of the continued conventional bombings. According to Compton, to condemn the bombing is a shallow way of looking at the whole issue, given that it provided a quick halt of the war. The article is relevant to the topic of study as it provides answers to the question of the topic. 

Donohue, N. (2012). Understanding the decision to drop the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki . Center for Strategic & International Studies . 

Nathan Donohue, in the article, ‘ Understanding the Decision to Drop the Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ’ provides different perspectives and alternatives regarding the issue. The US was already subduing the Japanese through a large scale attack referred to as Operation Downfall. The article offers a number of reasons why President Truman may have decided to drop the bomb. The President wanted to end the war as first as possible, prevent more casualties and win the war at the lowest costs possible. The President may have also decided to bomb Japan to justify the cost of the Manhattan project, which the US had heavily invested in at the time. President Truman may have had the urge to impress the Soviets, who had control over most of Eastern Europe. Dropping the bomb may have also been seen as an effective way of responding to the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese. The author also provides other alternatives that may have been used instead of dropping the bomb. These include waiting for the Soviets to join the war, intensifying naval blockade, and allowing the Japanese to retain the Emperor. A demonstration of the power of the nuclear bomb could have also worked to get the Japanese to surrender. This article provides a lot of information on the decision to drop the bomb on Japanese cities. It explores reasons, perspectives, alternatives, and also provides a narrative on the events that led to the dropping of the bomb. 

Kennedy, D. M., & Cohen, L. (2015). The American pageant . A history of the American People. Cengage Learning. Chapter 34. 16 TH Edition. 

Kennedy and Cohen in the book “ The American Pageant ” describe the events of the Second World War and provide an overview of the bombing of Japan in August of 1945. Following the atrocities of the Japanese at Pearl Harbor and the resulting defeat of the US, a strong wave of nationalism arose in the US. The country urged the US government to declare war on Japan, but the government had the mandate to first focus on Germany. Harry Truman came into power and was faced with a huge decision to make regarding the Japanese situation. The Manhattan project was promising, and tests had been performed. The Allied forces, led by Truman, issued orders to Japan to surrender unconditionally. If Japan refused to surrender, it would be destroyed. Japan also provided its terms of surrender, some of which could not be accepted by the Allied powers. The lives of thousands of more Americans were on the line, and the war was not going to end anytime soon. Truman, therefore, ordered the bombing of Hiroshima, hoping it would be enough to get the Japanese to surrender. The chapter concludes by providing various arguments on the decision to drop the bomb. This chapter not only provides relevant information on the bombing of Japan by the US but also provides a background account on the history and events leading to the bombing. 

Maddox, R. J. (1995). The Biggest Decision. Why We Had To Drop The Atomic Bomb. American Heritage. Retrieved from: https://www.americanheritage.com/biggest-decision-why-we-had-drop-atomic-bomb 

Maddox, in the article “ The Biggest Decisions ,” discusses the events of the summer of 1945 when the US dropped two nuclear bombs within three days on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He also raises the question of whether the bombing was necessary given that the Allied Forces already knew Japan was about to surrender. According to Maddox, Japan was already beaten by the summer of 1945. Through conventional bombings and blockades, Japan had already been brought to its knees. However, as the author writes, Japan had caused a lot of American Casualties and showed great willingness to continue fighting to the end. If the American forces went ahead with war, there would be many more casualties in the hands of the Japanese. A confirmation that more casualties, five hundred thousand or more, would be caused if the war continued, was the primary reason for the dropping of the bombs by the American forces under the orders of President Harry Truman. This article recognizes the magnitude of the casualties caused by the bombings of Japan but also provides tangible possibilities and reasons for dropping the bombs by the American forces. The article is quite relevant to the subject as it provides insights into the reason and decision to drop the bomb. 

Nichols, T. (2015). No other Choice: Why Truman Dropped the Atomic Bomb on Japan. The National Interest. Retrieved from: https://nationalinterest.org/feature/no-other-choice-why-truman-dropped-the-atomic-bomb-japan-13504 

According to Nichol, Truman and his advisers did not have any alternatives other than the action to drop the bomb, considering the context of the war. Today, as the writer notes, most people condemn the actions of Truman in ordering the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, and later Nagasaki. Nichols, however, says this is outrageous, ahistorical, and pointless, given that 1945 and the current times are totally different times. It is pointless judging the decisions made in 1945 by the current standards. The article notes factors such as racism, the Soviet Union, and unnecessary action, as some of the guidelines under which the decision to bomb Japan is often argued. On the issue of racism, Nichols points out that the US did not drop the bomb on European enemies such as Germany, mainly because Germany had surrendered before the bomb could be tested. Dropping the bomb was also necessary as many American lives would have been lost, and the war would have continued for many more months. Impressing the Soviet Union was never a reason for dropping the bomb. The opinion of Nichols on dropping the bomb provides an insight into the topic and helps provide an understanding on why Truman had to drop the bomb at the time. 

Thomas, P. (1995). Was It Right? TheAtlantic.com. The Atlantic Monthly Group. Retrieved from: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1995/07/was-it-right/376364/ 

Instead of posing the question of whether the bombing of Japan was necessary, Thomas Powers questions the morality of the decision. The author takes into account that the exact number of those who died as a result of the bombings cannot be estimated, given that thousands more later died from cancers caused by radiation. Civilians, particularly the old, the young, and women, comprised an enormous percentage of the victims. The author provides a glimpse into the diary of Truman, showing how the President himself feared the thought of having to cause the deaths of thousands of civilians. The author also presents the instructions of the scientists who developed the bomb, displaying a preview on the destructive nature and the conditions for the destructive capabilities of the bomb. According to the article, those who think the bombing was necessary, say it prevented the deaths of close to a million American Army boys. This number, according to the author, may not have been accurate given the reports of General MacArthur, who was in charge of the army fighting in the Japanese Islands. The bombs did end the war, but they also caused thousands of civilian deaths and great suffering to hundreds of thousands of people. The article provides a different look at the question of the decision to drop the bombs on Japan, which makes it ideal a research material on the subject. 

Zimmerman, D. P. (2018). Truman was Right to Drop the Atomic Bomb. Dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought the war to a quick end. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved from: https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2018-08-07/truman-was-right-to-drop-the-atomic-bomb 

The author, Zimmerman, is of the opinion that former President Harry Truman made the right decision in dropping the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The ultimate result of the action saw an end of the war. The author also takes to account that there were alternatives to dropping the nuclear bomb and that Japan would have surrendered under other conditions. According to Zimmerman, upon the orders to surrender, Japan issued a couple of conditions, for the Allied forces to comply with and live up to, for them to surrender. Among the terms was the request to allow the imperial institution to continue. The allied forces could not accept the other three conditions and demanded unconditional surrender. Other alternatives to end the war, according to the author, including a blockade, would have been too cruel as compared to the bombing. The conventional bombing of cities would have continued until there were no more targets. In the end, almost the whole country would be destroyed and subjected to hunger and poverty. The bombing offered a quicker solution to stop the war. The article discusses some of the alternatives that President Truman had and concludes that the decision to drop the bombs was the right one. The material is quite relevant to the topic as it provides a stance on the decision to drop the bombs. 

References 

Compton, K. T. (1946 ). If the atomic bomb had not been used . Atlantic Monthly , 178 (6), 54-56. 

Donohue, N. (2012). Understanding the decision to drop the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki . Center for Strategic & International Studies . 

Kennedy, D. M., & Cohen, L. (2015). The American pageant . A history of the American People. Cengage Learning. Chapter 34. 16 TH Edition. 

Maddox, R. J. (1995). The Biggest Decision. Why We Had To Drop The Atomic Bomb. American Heritage. Retrieved from: https://www.americanheritage.com/biggest-decision-why-we-had-drop-atomic-bomb 

Nichols, T. (2015). No other Choice: Why Truman Dropped the Atomic Bomb on Japan. The National Interest. Retrieved from: https://nationalinterest.org/feature/no-other-choice-why-truman-dropped-the-atomic-bomb-japan-13504 

Thomas, P. (1995). Was It Right? TheAtlantic.com. The Atlantic Monthly Group. Retrieved from: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1995/07/was-it-right/376364/ 

Zimmerman, D. P. (2018). Truman was Right to Drop the Atomic Bomb. Dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought the war to a quick end. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved from: https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2018-08-07/truman-was-right-to-drop-the-atomic-bomb