Hiroshima

On August 6 and 9, 1945, the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed by the only, atomic bombs ever to be used in warfare. The decision to bomb these cities was a very controversial issue. While many support Truman in his decision to abruptly end World War II, others feel that his actions were unnecessary and extreme.

The atomic bomb was first introduced to the United States in 1939. When the first bomb was tested in an open field, its success gave Truman a solid ground on which to threaten Japan. Japan was faced with two choices, surrender or experience complete destruction. When Japan took no action to respond to the threat, Truman ordered the bombing of Hiroshima, and when they still did not respond, Nagasaki was bombed three days later. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki resulted in as many as 220,000 deaths by the end of 1945. Only half of these deaths were an instant result of the bombs, causalities and exposure to radiation resulted in illness led to the remaining 110,000 deaths.

While there are many valid points in the support of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, many people also feel that it was an unnecessary measure taken. Many have identified the bombings as war crimes, crimes against humanity, and state terrorism. Those implications suggest that the decision was immoral. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were militarily unnecessary. The Bard Memorandum supports the fact that Japan should be given at least 2-3 days notice before the bombings if they are to do so at all, for the Japanese were at their weakest point and were prepared to surrender in the very near future regardless of the bombings, they were simply looking for a way to do so. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were two major cities in Japan, filled with innocent people. Dropping the bomb on them was just a tactic to scare the people to make them give up, when really dropping the bombs on these cities had killed thousands of innocent people. According to the Szilard...