Harry Truman: The Atomic Bomb

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Recommended: Americas involvement in World War II

President Harry Truman, 33rd president of the United States, had to face one of the most effective decisions of mankind. The atomic bomb was first served as an idea which was created underneath the United States government. With a nuclear weapon like the atomic bomb, came great responsibility. The idea of how to use and regulate the bomb was not yet implemented. Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb changed the way Americans thought about war because of its traumatic after effects.
Under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration the atomic bomb was being developed. After Roosevelt died, his vice president Harry Truman was appointed President of the United States. Truman was never informed about the bombs development until an emergency cabinet meeting (Kuznick 9). Truman had to make the fatal decision on whether the bomb was to be dropped on Japan. With the idea of going to war, Truman had to think about the lives of the thousand American soldiers. The American soldiers had begun using the method of island hopping, because the bomb was not available. The idea of dropping a bomb was that the war itself could possibly end in its earliest points. The dropping of the atomic bomb could also justify the money spent on the Manhattan Project (Donohue 1). With a quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt “This will be a day that will live in infamy”, Pearl Harbor was a tragic day for Americans. The United States had lost many soldiers, which they had claimed that they will eventually get revenge. The alternates of dropping the bomb was also discussed at the Interim Committee. The American government was trying to get an invitation response from the Japanese government. If the United States did not drop the bomb and ‘Operation Downfall’ ha...

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...the Japanese people. Harry Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb changed the way Americans thought about war because of the traumatic after effects.

Works Cited

Clancey Patrick ed. "HyperWar: USSBS: The Effects of Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki." iBliblio.org. United States Government Printing Office, 1946. Web. 08 Jan. 2014.

Donohue, Nathan. "Understanding the Decision to Drop the Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki." CSIS.org. CSIS Center for Strategic and International Studies, 10 Aug. 2012. Web. 07 Jan. 2014.

Kuznick, Peter J. "The Decision to Risk the Future: Harry Truman, the Atomic Bomb and the Apocalyptic Narrative.” JapanFocus. The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus, 9 Dec. 2013. Web. 09 Jan. 2014.

Powers, Thomas. "THE BOMB : Hiroshima: Changing the Way We Think About War." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 06 Aug. 1995. Web. 10 Jan. 2014.

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