The atomic bombs dropped on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki were unnecessary and wrong. The United states should not have dropped Fat Man and Little Boy for they have cause crippling effects to both places. The US has caused a new wave of warfare, allowing countries to attack innocent civilians when trying to get a leg up in a war or political struggle between two or more countries.
The attack on Pearl Harbor left the US and its Navy in grave turmoil. Although this attack came from the Japanese and was intended to kill many innocent lives, the idea of dropping a bomb that could potential wipe out all civilization on that land is unethical and morally wrong. The US, at this point in the war, had Japan on the ropes. After defeating the Japanese in island hoping, naval and airborne battles, the United States had Japan right where they wanted. The next battle would have been invading Japan.
There are many reasons way and way not to invade Japan. First off, Japan was fighting to the death at this point and and it would have caused many deaths on the American side. Also, with that said, the US did not want to be in this war for much longer. Another reason was to intimidate the USSR, although just being in the war should have been enough to prove that because of the major rebound the US had after the Pearl Harbor attack.
Reasons not too, however, out weigh the other side. At first when Germany had attempted to create the atomic bomb, they weren't doing a very good job. They were caught trying to develop it and their project was officially over. The Manhattan Project, the US's attempt to create the atomic bomb continued far after Germany's was finished. Now there are pluses to the Project, 180,000 people were employed and it did put the US in the lead of the arms race, but was it really worth it.
When the German scientists were caught, one went on the record of saying:
The biggest problem is that this brought a whole new warfare into play. Terrorism. This is a method of targeting civilians during war to achieve political goals. With out the bomb this may never have been created, but who knows? The bombing was not a simple bombing. It required a lot of time and though for, as it was predicted, it changed the world.
To sum things up; the bombing of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki were wrong and bad decisions. The German scientists who tried to make the bomb were thankful they didn't, ex-presidents disagreed (Teddy Roosevelt was one example.), and also it helped create the very method of war that was used on the US during 9/11. The bombing was not justified and should never had happened.
The attack on Pearl Harbor left the US and its Navy in grave turmoil. Although this attack came from the Japanese and was intended to kill many innocent lives, the idea of dropping a bomb that could potential wipe out all civilization on that land is unethical and morally wrong. The US, at this point in the war, had Japan on the ropes. After defeating the Japanese in island hoping, naval and airborne battles, the United States had Japan right where they wanted. The next battle would have been invading Japan.
There are many reasons way and way not to invade Japan. First off, Japan was fighting to the death at this point and and it would have caused many deaths on the American side. Also, with that said, the US did not want to be in this war for much longer. Another reason was to intimidate the USSR, although just being in the war should have been enough to prove that because of the major rebound the US had after the Pearl Harbor attack.
Reasons not too, however, out weigh the other side. At first when Germany had attempted to create the atomic bomb, they weren't doing a very good job. They were caught trying to develop it and their project was officially over. The Manhattan Project, the US's attempt to create the atomic bomb continued far after Germany's was finished. Now there are pluses to the Project, 180,000 people were employed and it did put the US in the lead of the arms race, but was it really worth it.
When the German scientists were caught, one went on the record of saying:
"I am thankful we didn't succeed in making the uranium bomb. I thank God on my bended knees we didn't."That was said right after the US dropped Fat Man on Hiroshima. The Germans were thankful they didn't come up with this type of weapon? The US has no company now with the atomic bomb, almost everyone was against it after seeing the damage it cause for the the citizens and for the Japanese in general.
The biggest problem is that this brought a whole new warfare into play. Terrorism. This is a method of targeting civilians during war to achieve political goals. With out the bomb this may never have been created, but who knows? The bombing was not a simple bombing. It required a lot of time and though for, as it was predicted, it changed the world.
To sum things up; the bombing of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki were wrong and bad decisions. The German scientists who tried to make the bomb were thankful they didn't, ex-presidents disagreed (Teddy Roosevelt was one example.), and also it helped create the very method of war that was used on the US during 9/11. The bombing was not justified and should never had happened.
No one can argue that use of the atomic bomb was beneficially to society. However, I think your premise that America’s use of the bomb was the catalyst for countries attacking civilians during times of war is incorrect. I may be wrong, but America civilians were targeted by British forces during the American Revolution. Again, in the war of 1812, the British targeted civilian facilities. This is not the only example, or even the worse. But, that is another discussion. I would have the same critique as to your conclusion that the use of the bomb lead to terrorism. I assume that you are referring to the current form of terrorism. After all, the use of terror in gaining advantage has been used for centuries. On the other hand, modern terrorism, I would argue, was spawned not by America’s WWII actions but by its financial/economic pursuits which the terrorist groups see as violating their cultural and religious beliefs. Moreover, there are many who believe that economics and not religion is the basis for most wars and conflicts, and that religion is used by those directing the war as tool to gain support for their actions. Again, this is a discussion for another time.
ReplyDeleteI liked your analysis of the pros and cons of dropping the bomb. From my standpoint, I do not believe that when governments consider policy, such as using nukes, they do not look at it terms of right or wrong. Rather, governments undertake policy based upon what are the best interests of their country. For example, to stay in the atomic theme, Iran is seeking nuclear capability as it’s in Iran’s best interests to do so. This may not be the right step for mankind, particularly for Iran’s neighbors. But, at the same time, is Iran wrong for seeking that which is best for Iran?
Also, to review the Truman Administration’s decision, you must do so in the context of the time. It is unfair to look back 65 years later to second guess the decision. Truman was truly conflicted. The decision to proceed was a close call. Regardless of his decision, he would bear the consequences. This was just one year after the D-Day invasion which resulted in thousands of American deaths, and tens of thousands casualties. 15,000 to 20,000 French civilians died in the process. FDR was tormented by his decision which he knew would result in these numbers. And, this was considered a success. Given the way Japan was fighting in the Pacific, the numbers would have been much higher. Some predicted a death toll as high as 500,000 to 1,000,000 people. So, if Truman decided not to drop the bomb, the alternative was to send tens of thousands young American men (18 to 30 years old) to their deaths. Also, WWI (the “war to end all wars”) in which America last 116,000 lives, ended just 27 years earlier. At the time the decision to drop the bomb was made, America already suffered 400,000 deaths. If Truman invaded, the total death toll for America could have exceeded one million! The bombs resulted in 150,000 to 240,000 Japanese deaths. Now put yourself in his shoes, during his time. You may not agree, but you surely must acknowledge that it was a very close and very dire decision, with no good outcome.
So, the decision, regardless of what it was, was not a good one. Either way, massive human life would be lost. Either way, history would not favor the outcome. Truman did what was best for America, at that time. I look forward to your future posts.