A Necessary Evil

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Recommended: Hiroshima and morality

In all of Earth’s wars and conflicts, waged for thousands of years, our most terrible weapon has only been unleashed once. The atom bomb, is a device capable of unfathomable destruction, first created in 1945. World War II had been undergoing since 1939, the Germans had surrendered in May 1945, but months later the threat of the Japanese remained. The allied powers were growing sick and tired of this war, and a costly invasion of japan loomed overhead. The existence of the atom bomb was known by very few, and these men had to make a terrible decision. The decision to use these bombs against the Japanese. Despite the terrible consequences this would entail, and science’s best efforts to find a practical replacement it was the best option morally, financially, and militaristically to unleash this terrible new force against our enemies. A number of options were on the table as alternatives to using atomic weapons agains Japan, the most prevalent of these were: A massive land-invasion of mainland Japan, and a demonstration of the Atom Bomb for the Japanese to witness its power. When looking into the details of these options you find that the the best option is to use the Atom Bombs against Japan. A detailed plan to invade mainland Japan was laid out by the United States before the atomic bomb was ready to be used or widely know of. “Operation Downfall” was a planned invasion of Japan, it consisted of two parts, Olympic and Coronet. Olympic was to occur in october 1945 and its objective was for the united states’ 6th army to capture the southern third of Kyushu, the southernmost island of the Japanese mainland. If Olympic was successful Coronet was to follow, most likely in the spring of 1946 where the 1st, 8th, and 10th United State... ... middle of paper ... ...urselves before the hallowed spirits of Our Imperial Ancestors? This is the reason why I ordered the Imperial Government to accept the Joint Declaration.” proving that the Atomic Bombings achieved their purpose. As unfortunate as it may seem the allies really had no choice when presented with the option to use the Atom Bomb against Japan, it was a superior option to the others placed on the table in every way, other then it being a nuclear weapon. The bombings may have nearly caused the end of the world many years down the road, but the people at the time did the right thing, and we should commend them for it. The United States president at the time, Harry S. Truman reminisced on the decision to use the bombs a few years down the road. "I knew what I was doing when I stopped the war ... I have no regrets and, under the same circumstances, I would do it again.”

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