The Motivation to Use Atomic Bombs on the Cities of...

Debates on the use of the atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been active for decades and continue to this day. The timeline of events and available evidence is consistent with the notion that the most compelling reason Pres. Truman authorized the use of atomic weapons was for diplomatic and political reasons, with an eye towards the Soviet Union, rather than bringing an early end to the war with the immediate surrender of Japan. The development of the atomic bomb was the largest program of covert scientific research ever undertaken. There are several reasons cited to justify the use of the bomb. There are, however, a number of evidence supported factors that challenge this perspective. An aggressive Soviet†¦show more content†¦After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US policy of neutrality ended when it declared war on Japan. In 1941, Britain’s MAUD report concluded that an atomic bomb was possible and that its construction should begin immediately. Since Britain was already fully mobilized in war with Germany, the United States was in a better position to proceed with the bomb project. A special †S-1† committee was formed to determine the feasibility of an atomic bomb. They concluded that it would initially cost upward of $100 million with the production of a bomb by July 1944. In September 1942, the Manhattan Project was created with Gen. Leslie Groves at its helm. J. Robert Oppenheimer was chosen to supervise the scientific side of the atomic bomb project. A site for the central laboratory was chosen near the Los Alamos Ranch School in New Mexico. Here the actual design and construction of the two atomic bombs that would later be referred to as â€Å"Fat Man† and â€Å"Little Boy† took place. Following the death of Roosevelt on April 12, 1945, Harry S. Truman became president. On May 8, 1945, Germany surrendered. The war in Asia with Japan, however, continued with the Soviet Union establishing itself as an ever growing threat. On July 16, 1945, a plutonium bomb (â€Å"the gadget†), detonated by a theoreticalShow MoreRelatedWhy the United States Dropped the Atomic Bomb: Persuasive Essay1259 Words   |  6 PagesThe atomic bomb is the subject of much controversy. Since its first detonation in 1945, the entire world has heard the aftershocks of that blast. Issues concerning Nuclear Weapons sparked the Cold War. We also have the atomic bomb to thank for our relative peace in this time due to the fear of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). The effects of the atomic bomb might not have been the exact effects that the United States was looking for when they dropped Little Boy and Fat Man on Hiroshima and NagasakiRead MoreThe Manhattan Project Essay901 Words   |  4 PagesThe world was shocked when the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan in 1945. The bombs were a result of years of research and testing completed by the nation’s top physicists in a top-secret project called the Manhatt an Project. The Manhattan Project was a crucial development by the United States because it quickly ended the war with Japan. In August 1939, Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard drafted the Einstein-Szilard letter to send to President Roosevelt. The letter outlined the needRead MoreThe United States Was Justified For The Attack Of Hiroshima Essay1342 Words   |  6 Pagesattack to Hiroshima, Japan. The nuclear bomb was made in the south western for the sake of the United States under top mystery conditions. The Manhattan Project was constructed by Dr. Robert Oppenheimer who was a German Jew that fled from the Nazi party. For a long time, the Germans and Americans were in a race to finish the bomb first. It was viewed as a stupendous achievement when on July 1945, in the New Mexico betray, the primary nuclear bomb exploded in a trial. On August 6, 1945, an atomic bombRead MoreNuclear Weapons And The World War II1145 Words   |  5 PagesSubsequently, the major application of nuclear weapons emerged when the US dropped two atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. Whereas President Truman mainly sought to protect Americans from further deaths by launching atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the USSR posed a different question. Did Truman consciously drop the bombs to intimidate the USSR? Therefore, the Soviet Union interpreted the use of these nuclear weapons as an anti-Soviet move. This further set the basis of the ColdRead MoreThe Bombing Of Hiroshima1096 Words   |  5 Pages1945 in Hiroshima, Japan did not begin in any exceptional way; in fact the people had no idea that they were about to be part of one of the most significant mornings in all of history. At 8:15 am, the United States Army Air Forces dropped the first atomic bomb, ironically called, when one considers the enormity of the bombs significance, the Little Boy Three days later the U.S. dropped a second bomb nicknamed the Fat Man on the town of Nagasaki, Japan. Historically, the use of the atomic bombsRead MoreThe United States Decision to Use Atomic Bombs Against Japan2627 Words   |  11 Pagessurrounding th e United States’ decision to use atomic bombs against Japan. What motives were behind this action, and what arguments have been made against it? â€Å"I wonder if I can ever have children in the future.† - Words written from a young girl exposed to radiation from the A-bomb – Nagasaki. Hiroki Sato and Kentaro Okada. (-). A-Bomb Radiation Sickness, 14 May 2013 lt;http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/05/13/national/a-bomb-survivor /#.UZIEcfBArIU.gt; DuringRead MoreThe Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima2781 Words   |  12 Pages  the  United  States   dropped  an  atomic  bomb  on  the  Japanese  city  of  Hiroshima,  the  capital  of  Hiroshima  Prefecture.   Hiroshima  is  known  throughout  the  world  as  the  first  (and  only)  city  decimated  by  a  nuclear   weapon  in  wartime.  The  bombing  of  Hiroshima  has  been  one  of  the  most  horrific  events  ever  to   have  taken  place  in  in  the  world.  Ã‚  The  damage  it  caused,  along  with  the  implications  that   followed,  explain  why  it  is  so  well  known,  even  today.  The  effects  of  Hiroshima  continue  to   shape  the  way  we  think  about  wars  and  bombingsRead MoreWhy Truman Ordered The Dropping Of The Atomic Bomb2278 Words   |  10 PagesTruman Ordered the Dropping of the Atomic Bomb Throughout American history, the art of war has become increasingly advanced and geared to kill more people. This was especially true in the early 20th century with World Wars I and II, when tactics and weaponry were being developed with the objective of mass destruction (i.e. total war, civilian bombing, etc.), and reached its climax in the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945. The atomic bomb was a revolutionary inventionRead MoreThe Atomic Bomb Was A Revolutionary Invention1528 Words   |  7 Pagesreached its peak with the US dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945. The atomic bomb was a revolutionary invention that raised many questions, most comprehensively, why? Why did we drop the atomic bombs? This question regarding the motivations behind dropping the atomic bomb has been mostly buried by the actual event. While Truman himself stated in an August 1945 radio address and further emphasized in his 1955 memoirs that the atomic bombs were dropped in order to â€Å"shortenRead MoreThe Dropping Of The Atomic Bomb On Japan5502 Words   |  23 Pagesdropping of the atomic bomb on Japan? Sub Issues Questions: Scott Carroll The dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945 and Nagasaki on August 9th, 1945 was the first and last time the weapon has been used to date; the atomic explosions exposed the true potential of nuclear warfare whilst also highlighting the global superiority that America possessed at the conclusion of World War II. On August 6th, 1945 â€Å"Little Boy†, a uranium atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in an effort