Why did Truman elect to use the Atomic Bomb against Japan?

Why did Truman elect to use the Atomic Bomb against Japan?

Introduction

The order of Truman launched the atomic bomb on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is one of the most controversial decisions of the Second World War. The reason most often given is that, the U.S. president wanted to end the war with Japan and avoid further bloodshed consecutive landing provided by the U.S. Army. It was also claimed that he wanted to prevent the Soviets enter a maximum of territories in Asia, if he wanted to impress them by having them demonstrate the immeasurable American military power. This controversy is still alive, today, with the recent pronouncements of historians Republicans on the issue, thereby confirming that the executive order has left the domain of historians to enter the field of politics. Truman's choice to drop the atomic bomb on Japan was to save the lives and quickly stops the war to avoid a terrible invasion on land.

Discussion

The American decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan was without doubt influenced by the desire to end the war since that is what it accomplished. After dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Truman were assured that “the dropping of the bombs stopped the war and saved millions of lives.” The dropping of the atomic bombs prevented an American invasion on Japan, the approximate cost for this exceeded $500,000 and more than a million lives would have been lost. Herbert Feis argued that many in the Truman administration believed that a land invasion of Japan would not have been sufficient enough to cause Japan to surrender quickly and unconditionally and thus Truman's choice to use the atomic bomb was an immediate solution to stop the war with Japan and a way to stop further loses of American lives .

This argument is surely reasonable, however, the extent to which ending a war that was almost over was more important that intimidating the Soviet Union is what many dispute. It can effectively be argued that Truman dropped the bomb to scare and intimidate the Soviet Union and not simply that the decision was made to end the war with Japan. No military objective justified the destruction of the two cities. The real reason for the use of the atomic bomb against Japan is revenge. Truman wrote: "we apply against those who want to attack us, without informing at Pearl Harbor, against those who have hungry and implemented the war of American prisoners, and against those who have break all the rules to obey international laws of war'.

These mass killings of civilians were Japanese war crimes. Never mind that Japan has committed atrocities against civilians in China and Korea, he mistreated enemy prisoners of war and he started the war. And Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Navy attacked U.S. military installations, not civilians. Some try to defend Truman saying that without the atomic bombings, the United States would have had ...