The Atomic Bomb — A Necessary or Needless Evil?

“Let there be no mistake about it. I regarded the bomb as a military weapon and never had any doubt that it should be used.” — Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman, as noted in his memoirs, had no qualms about dropping two atomic bombs, codenamed Fat Man and Little Boy, on two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in order to bring a swift end to World War II. Some, through the lens of history from the present, might comment that the dropping of the atomic bombs were a mistake, or that they caused needless death and destruction, or that there were other, more peaceful ways to bring about an end to World War II. In this essay, the options that were presented to President Truman before he made his fateful decision will be discussed, and, using two examples, we will decide whether Truman was correct in dropping the atomic bombs, or if there was another way to end the Second Great War.

Before analyzing Truman’s decision to use the atom bombs against Japan, we must present the options that the President received before his decision was made. First, of course, Truman had the option of dropping two of the “most terrible weapon ever known in human history, one bomb of which could destroy a whole city” (Document A) on the Japanese homeland. However, the point was made that he could either test the bomb — a bomb with “a brilliant luminescence which would rise to a height of 10,000 to 20,000 feet” (Document C) — in a remote island in the Pacific, with the Japanese watching, so America could say, “‘You see what sort of a weapon we had but did not use” (Document B). Truman and his cabinet also considered dropping an atomic bomb on a designated Japanese city, but not before warning the Japanese so they could evacuate the town. Once again, this could show that America and the Allied might is too strong for the Japanese army to continue to fight. Lastly, of course, Truman also had the option to drop the atomic bomb on a designated city without warning, where civilians and soldiers alike were sure to be killed. This option suggested that a prime target would be a “vital war plant employing a large number of workers and closely surrounded by workers’ houses” (Document C). Dropping the atomic bomb without any warning would prove the same point, but would have the maximum psychological effect on Japan’s military and civilian population alike, due to the massive loss of human life. Although the United States had possession of the atomic bomb, there were other options considered that didn’t call for the use of the atomic bomb. One option, recommended by diplomats at the time, was an attempt at negotiations with the Japanese, in order to get them to surrender peacefully to the Allies; something that was attempted before the bombs were dropped on Japan. “The Proclamation Defining Terms for the Japanese Surrender”, signed in Potsdam, Germany, were a series of conditions for the surrender of the Japanese, something that Japanese officials would soon refuse to accept. Finally, if the United States decides not to use its nuclear arsenal, and the peace talks failed, then an all-out invasion of the five main islands of Japan, starting with the island of Kyūshū would be considered. This invasion was codenamed as Operation Downfall, and would be split into two parts, Operation Olympic and Operation Coronet. This full-scale invasion would call for up to forty-two aircraft carriers, twenty-four battleships, and over four-hundred cruisers, as well as up to thirty-nine Army and Marine divisions. With so many options on the table, how did Truman decide to use the Atomic bomb over everything else that was presented to him?

Harry S. Truman made the decision to drop two atomic bombs on Japanese industrial cities — Hiroshima and Nagasaki — and I am inclined to agree with his decision. The atomic bomb Firstly, at this time period, there were no surefire solutions to getting the Japanese military to surrender. Until this point, there was no signs of a Japanese surrender. A diplomatic solution was unfeasible, precedented by the Potsdam ultimatum issued July 26th, in order to “spare the Japanese people from utter destruction” (Document J), which was “promptly rejected” by the militarists that were controlling Japan at the time. In this document, it states that “The time has come for Japan to decide whether she will continue to be controlled by those self-willed militaristic advisers whose unintelligent calculations have brought the Empire of Japan to the threshold of annihilation, or whether she will follow the path of reason” (Document H). Due to the prompt refusal of the Potsdam ultimatum, it was obvious that the Japanese would not accept an unconditional surrender through negotiations, which is what the Allies were aiming for. The next step would be to try to scare the Japanese through a nuclear test on a remote island. However, what if the bomb didn’t work? And what if it doesn’t scare the Japanese, who might think that it was the only bomb that the US had? The United States may have wasted “two billion dollars on the greatest scientific gamble in history” (Document J), but instead of winning that gamble, they might have lost it, or they might have wasted the win on a deserted island. There were too many variables to consider in order for that option alone to be feasible. Dropping the bomb on the Japanese mainland, with warning, may have a similar effect; not scaring the Japanese enough to surrender unconditionally. If dropping the bomb without warning was not considered, the only next available option would be Operation Downfall, or the full-scale invasion of Japan. This invasion would have dwarfed the greatest amphibious invasion of all time, also known as D-Day — over 400 deployable combat ships were to be used. To compare, today’s US Navy consists of only 271 deployable combat ships. What’s more is that up to 39 Army and Marine divisions were to be deployed — millions of troops invading Japan. The worst part is that none of the above options would have had the profound effect that dropping a nuclear bomb on a city, unannounced, had on the Japanese people. Sure, the United States could have continued firebombing Japan into submission, but who knows how long it would’ve taken for them to surrender? Some historians estimate that the war could’ve lasted into 1946, or even all the way into 1948; no good for American morale. Plus, continuing attacks as the United States has would just be keeping up the stats quo. The Japanese were used to it, and, as stated previously, they showed no signs of surrendering. Diplomatic talks were normal, and the full-on invasion of Japan was expected. The Allies needed something to blow the minds of the Japanese people, and compel them to surrender — quickly. Truman knew this, explaining his response to Stalin’s notification of the Soviet entry into World War 2; “[The Japs will be finished] when that comes about…” (Document E)

By dropping the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Truman did it not only as his best option to end the war quickly — he also did it to save lives. “The target will be a purely military one and we will issue a warning statement [after the bomb has been dropped] asking the Japs to surrender and save lives” (Document E). Harry S. Truman knew that the the lives of American and Japanese soldiers, as well as Japanese citizens, would be saved if a small(er) number were sacrificed with the use of the atomic bomb. As previously stated, the alternative to bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki, would have been Operation Downfall. The operation would’ve been split into two parts; Operations Olympic and Coronet. Operation Olympic, scheduled for November 1st, 1945, would be an invasion of the southernmost of the four Japanese main islands, or Kyūshū. It was to involve over 400 combat ships and nineteen Army and Marine divisions. The Fifth, Seventh and Thirteenth Air Forces would have provided air support for the troops on the beaches, with the Twentieth Air Force continuing to bomb Japanese infrastructure, in hopes of slowing down the Japanese main counterattack. After Operation Olympic, Operation Coronet would be prepared, scheduled for March 1st, 1946. Twenty-five Army and Marine divisions would have landed on opposing beaches, attempting to take Hokkaidō, the main island of Japan, and then Tokyo in a large pincer movement. To compare, all American, Canadian, and British forces landing on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day amounted to a mere twelve divisions. The chance for an extremely high death count doesn’t stop there; the Japanese had their own plans in the form of Operation Ketsugō. During Operation Ketsugō, the Japanese planned to employ five thousand kamikaze planes, all targeting the Allied troop transports, which alone could have destroyed a third of the invasion force before they even landed on the beaches. They would also employ over four-hundred submarines and two-thousand suicide boats to attack Allied transports. They also planned on using suicide divers; men in diving gear who would swim out and detonate bombs as American transports passed overhead. The Japanese moved one million soldiers to Kyūshū. They also forced civilians to fight, arming and training old men, schoolchildren, and women to fight and kill Allied forces with muskets, longbows, and bamboo spears. Casualty rate predictions wildly varied but were massive on both sides. Depending on how much damage the civilians of Japan would do to American forces, the estimates ran into the millions for Allied forces, and tens of millions for the Japanese. The most ironic part about Operation Downfall, however, is that some plans for the Operation called for the use of Atomic bombs anyways — the Allies were planning on using the bombs on beaches to soften up the landing zones for the Allies. Considering the lack of knowledge on nuclear radiation at the time, the troops could have possibly marched through a glowing impact zone, possibly killing every single one of them. All of this death and destruction — or two atomic bombs. Which would’ve saved more lives, destruction, and bloodshed in the long run? Sure, the use of atomic bombs is very destructive and horrifying — “Within a split second [after the explosion] the current she had felt passing through her body became a sensation of intense heat. Then she heard the crackle of burning hair…” (Document I) — but both Allied forces and Japanese avoided much more destruction with Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bombs without warning.

Truman’s decision to drop two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended the war much sooner than analysts at the time could have predicted otherwise, and it saved lives. The most deadly weapon in the history of the world at that time period was used for the good of humanity in the long run — and that decision was possibly the most important of the 20th century; and certainly the most important decision Harry S. Truman ever made in his presidential career. We know for a fact that it is not one that he ever regretted, as it saved Americans from their death on the beaches of Kyūshū and Hokkaidō. Perhaps we can call that his “final solution”.

(This is an article I wrote for my World History class. I thought I’d share here to learn the formatting of Medium.com a bit. Thanks :D)