Ethan Sainsbury
3/12/2015
US History college
Should We Drop the Bomb? On August 6, 1945, the United Sates of America became the first nation to drop an atomic bomb. President Truman made his decision to end the war. This decision became very controversial during and after the war. People chose sides immediately whether it was the most horrific thing we could have done as a nation or it was our only option and we needed to end the war. Some reasons people agreed with dropping the atomic bomb was the fact that it actually saved American lives. American casualties on Iwo Jima had been high, and as the president considered his options, thousands more were dying in Okinawa. Also, the amount of casualties the United Sates of America would be projected to lose were 50,800 people. If the war continued into 1946 the casualties would rise in excess of 100,000. Another reason, was to shorten the war. Truman's Joint Chief's of Staff told him that the war in Europe was expected to end with in six months. The transfer of resources from Europe to the Pacific and the start of the Home Island invasion could elongate the war by a year. Lastly, the atomic blasts sent a clear political message to the Soviet Union and others about the United States' military capabilities. One of the reasons people disagreed with the dropping of the atomic bomb is it brought mass destruction to Japanese civilians. On August sixth and ninth, two small crews flew over Nagasaki and Hiroshima delivering mass death from the air killing a total of 200,000 innocent civilian men, women and children. This also included the death of 23 American aviators being held prisoners of war. Another reason people disagreed was that cities were destroyed, along with all their history and culture. Hiroshima was completely destroyed and 90 percent of its buildings were flattened and the heart of Nagasaki was flattened. Many felt that