The Atomic Bomb: Necessary Or Justified?

The use of the atomic bomb began as an American military strategy but today it is known as one of the most devastating and catastrophic events that has ever occured. Shortly following the surrender of Nazi Germany, in 1945, America turned its attention to ending the war in the Pacific, and ultimately the decision made would be to use the most notorious weapon in human history. There has been much debate over the last seventy years on whether or not the use of the atomic bomb was necessary. Many historians have suggested that it was already clear that Japan would lose the war and the such drastic measures were not needed. They also point out that the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were a violation of humanity and that many innocent civilian

Rather surprisingly, the enormous wartime losses of the Chinese, Koreans, Filipinos, Vietnamese, and Javanese at the hands of the Japanese receive little attention in weighing the American effort to shock the Japanese into surrender.” It is clear that America’s decision was reasonable, given how much it benefited many other countries. At no time did the United States think that dropping the atomic bomb on Japan was an ideal solution, but as Truman later said, “Sometimes you have a choice of evils, in which case you try to take the course that is likely to bring the least harm.” When analyzing the outcomes the atomic bomb brought, it is apparent that one nation had to suffer greatly but numerous other nations were able to begin to rebuild as the war came to an end. Truman realized that in order to bring a stop to World War II some terrible decisions had to be made and

combat deaths, a number considerably higher than the shocking casualty toll at Okinawa.” The invasion of mainland Japan could easily have resulted in many more military and civilian deaths, therefore, America's decision to use the atomic bomb can easily been viewed as the least violent approach. Truman was well aware that invasions would have been much more destructive to the population and economy of both America, Japan, and several other nations. “Those who rush to judge Truman’s decision to use the atomic bombs must hesitate a little to appreciate that had he not authorized the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki thousands of American and Allied soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen would have been added to the lists of those killed in World War II.” Truman made a difficult decision but a smart one. Had he choose a difficult path otherwise the War in the Pacific might have lasted indefinitely as