The Pros And Cons Of The Manhattan Project

When looking through American history, one of the most memorable and darkest moments was the end to World War II. Yes, it ended a devastating war but it took the sacrifice of thousands of Japanese lives in order for that to happen. This massacre of human lives was caused by the American forces dropping atomic bombs on two cities in Japan(Hiroshima and Nagasaki). The Manhattan Project was the name of the developmental process of creating the atomic bombs. The Manhattan Project was believed to be necessary due to the prolonged tension caused by the war between the United States and Japan. This decision, which started out as a race among different countries to see who could create such a deadly weapon first, based upon the futility of World War

While many thought that the decision to drop the bomb was an inhumane choice by President Truman, it is, by far, the most practical of the decisions made by the American side. The main alternative that would have been used, if the United States had not of dropped the atomic bomb, would have been a full on invasion of Japan by the American forces. An example of this can be seen in the article “Atomic Bombing of Japan,” when the author states “Furthermore, proponents note, the main alternative to use of the atomic bomb being considered at the time was a mass invasion of the Japanese home islands. They contend that such an invasion would have been very costly in terms of U.S.

The short term consequences included the imminent obliteration of around one hundred thousand Japanese lives. Because of this President Truman was able to save the many lives of the American people. The long term effects of the Atomic bomb dropping can be measured simply by looking at Japan after the bombs first hit. The passage accurately describes the effect of the bombs by stating “They said that the air raids, more than any other military tactic, had devastated Japan” (). To elaborate more on this Mark Weber(director of the Institute for Historical Review) states, “300 B-29s bombed Tokyo, killing 100,000 people and burning 16 square miles of the city; further raids by U.S. B-29s later in May obliterated 56 square miles of Tokyo (one half the total area of the city). Former Japanese premier Fumimaro Konoye noted, "Fundamentally, the thing that brought about the determination to make peace was the prolonged bombing by the