The Pros And Cons Of The Atomic Bomb

For years, people have debated whether President Truman should have allowed the atom bomb to be used on Japan. The dropping of the atom bomb was indeed the right choice. There is a lot of evidence that support it. It was not only morally acceptable, but it was the best strategic choice that America could have chosen. It got rid of the Japanese’s main sources for supplies. In the long run, it also helped prevent the war from lasting any longer. Otherwise, the Japanese people would have continued to fight.
The biggest thing about the bomb that people debate about is whether dropping the bomb was moral or not. This action was indeed moral. The first reason is that it fulfills the requirements of the Principle of Dual Effect. It act was indifferent.

Some would argue that the bomb killed innocent civilians, and that killing the innocent is wrong no matter what the situation is. Although this is true, the people of Japan at that time were not innocent civilians, but the civilians were part of the military. Despite the fact that Japan had an emperor, the country was ran by a militarized government. The military had set into motion a strategy called Ketsugo. This strategy turned the civilians into soldiers so that they could defend the homeland. Children were also trained to use weapons at schools. These children would be monitored by soldiers. None of the people were allowed to surrender.
All the deaths of the people that died in the cities were not the intended effect. The aim was to stop the war with Japan. The cities targeted were military industlery cities. The people in them were warned that the bomb was coming their way. They did not leave and were caught in the blast. Shortly after the dropping, Japan surrendered. Many more lives were saved since the war ended. In order to fully decide if the dropping was moral, the circumstances of the time must also be considered.
People of today often debate the dropping of the atom bomb using the knowledge that all people have. It is important to try to judge the event using the knowledge of 1945. Radiation is one of those things. In the 1940’s, people had started studying radiation. They knew that there were dangers to being exposed to radiation since there were instruments created to detect leaks, but they did not know the long-term effects of radiation exposer. They did not know that radiation could cause cancer and birth defects. In comparison to the people from the 1940’s, everyone today has at least a little knowledge of how dangerous radiation can be.
There are people who would argue that the bombs should have been tested. Although this is true, only one test could have been conducted using a prototype. Multiple tests would have been conducted except there was a problem. Making atom bombs is not very easy. The right supplies that are needed to make them are hard to obtain due to how rare the materials are. Not only that but the test was conducted in a desert. There was no way for the scientists to know how much destruction would occur in a city. Now that the standards of 1945 have been considered, it is now time to look at the strategies that were available.
When looking at all the plans that the military had made, dropping the bomb was the best strategic choice.

All the other strategies would have been more devastating. One plan was to invade Japan. This plan would have been worse due to the number of casualties, estimated to be over five million. The ones that would have suffered were the Americans, the Allies, the prisoners at Japanese prison camps, and most of all the Japanese. The reason why so many would have died is because of the fact that all of Japan, especially the military leaders, were determined to win the war at all costs. This included turning the population into soldiers. By invading Japan, so many lives would have been

lost.
Of course, another strategy would have been to simply continue with the plan of barricading Japan and drop B-29 bombs on Japan.

This plan would not be as bad as a plan as invading Japan, but it is still a terrible plan. Many cities have been destroyed, and 3 million people have already died. If the plan continued, more people would have died from conventional bombing then from when the atom bomb was dropped. It would have taken longer for Japan to surrender. Many other people, such as American soldiers and Japanese militarized civilians, would have been at risk of dying as well. Strategies are important, but the effects are important as well.
It is always important to add the long-term effects of an action when judging the righteousness of an action. Looking at what happened when the bomb dropped, it was the best way to stop the war. After the bomb dropped, the emperor realized that Japan needed to surrender. A few days later, Japan surrendered. Many lives on both sides were saved because Japan surrendered. However, this is not the only way to look at this

situation.
It is also necessary to include what would have happened if the bomb was not dropped. The war would have continued for a longer period of time. The reason way is that all the Japanese people, especially the military leaders, followed an honor code called Bushido. Bushido is an honor code that samurai used to followed. There are many principles in the code, but one of them is that a samurai must be fearless to an enemy. If one surrendered, it would have been considered dishonorable. Therefore, they would rather kill themselves than surrender. The soldiers took it one step farther. They would not simply kill themselves, but they would also try to take as many enemy lives as they can. An example would be Kamikaze attacks. These attacks were preformed when Japanese pilots would drive their planes into other American planes to afflict damage. Seeing how ruthless the Japanese were, not using the bomb would have caused more damage.
By looking at all the information here, it is clear that the dropping of the atom bomb was the right thing to do. All the requirements needed to apply an action to the Principle of Dual Effect are fulfilled. There were no innocent people in Japan. The knowledge of radiation was limited. Out of all the plans, the bomb was the best option. The outcome helped save many lives. What would have happened was avoided. Of course, the debate of the atom bomb may never conclude.