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Hakeem Adeniyi Akande
Professor Christopher
History 1302
1st February, 2024
THE DROPPING OF THE ATOMIC BOMB
The dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was said to be an action taken to
intimidate the Soviet Union in the post Second World War era rather than to force the Japanese
to surrender. The decision to drop an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima was perhaps the
most important decision of our time When it comes to war, ruthless decisions are made and not
all can be calculated with predictable outcomes and I believe the dropping of the atomic bomb on
Hiroshima was one of those decisions made by the United States.
In the second world war, all the combatant countries bombed civilian areas, but the
atomic bombing of Japan was different, a devastating event not just in military history but in
human history as well. Harry Truman who was the newly elected President as of the time was
responsible for making the decision to use this weapon against Japan was reluctant at first to
acknowledge the scale of the devastation the atomic bomb withheld. Before using the weapon
Truman asked a group of advisors lead by the Secretary of War Henry Stimson to Determine if
using the atomic bomb on Japan was the best course of action to end the bloody war. After
seeing the deadly effects of the explosion, the committee did not take this lightly. They knew if
the United States detonated an atomic bomb on Japanese soil, the civilian casualties would be
immense, but it was determined that an invasion of Japan would be even more costly for both
sides. Most of the committee concluded that the bomb should be used. Stimson was a huge
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advocate that this was the right decision. So under the advisement of the committee, President
Harry Truman issued the Potsdam declaration which called for the unconditional surrender of
Japan. Unfortunately, Japan didn’t comply with the United States which therefore left Truman
with no other choice but to give the order to drop the bomb. but The horrors of Hiroshima and
eventually Nagasaki became known, and questions were being asked all around the world. Did
the United States really do the right thing? Were these nuclear attacks a calculated response?
According to Henry L. Stimson, the main objective of the United States of America in the
summer of 1945 was the complete surrender of Japan and it was stated that only the elimination
of Japan’s military source would enable them to achieve such goals. Harry S Truman who was
the active President as of the time relayed a radio message to the public in August 1945. In his
message he mentions how he became aware of the tragic significance of the atomic bomb. He
also stated that it was Japan’s actions against Pearl Harbor that prompted the United States to use
the bomb as a means of having Japan surrender. Many individuals had opinions about the atomic
bomb not necessarily being needed to end the war against Japan. Such individual was Admiral
William D. Leahy. He believed that there was no need for a barbarous weapon to be used on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki seeing that the Japanese were already on the verge of defeat due to the
previous set of attacks laid on them. Although the atomic bomb brought about an early defeat of
the Japanese which prevented more casualties from an extended war, William D. Leahy stated in
his diary that the United states had just paved a way for potential enemies to attack with atomic
bombs such as used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
I believe the dropping of the atomic bomb on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki can
outrightly be classified as a necessary evil. Why so is because even though many people died
from the event, many more casualties would have occurred due to a prolonged war. Resources
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that would have been used for war would be reserved to replenish the losses on both sides.
President Harry Truman was said to have sleepless nights for the biggest decision made by the
United States. In the world we live in today, the hardest choices require the biggest sacrifice and
as long as war is in our nature, such decisions will continue to be made in generations to come.
WORK CITED
Henry Stimson. Memoirs of Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson. Document. 1947
Harry Truman. Trumans radio address. Document. August 1945
William Leahy. Admiral William D. Leahy, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, William
Leahy, I Was There. 1945. http://www.doug-long.com/leahy.htm
Harry Truman. Truman tells Stalin. Document. 1945