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Why Did Harry S. Truman Dropped The Atomic Bomb?

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Why Did Harry S. Truman Dropped The Atomic Bomb?
After years of war and destruction, American soldiers and civilians were beyond weary and restless, yet the Japanese were steadfast and refused to give up their fight. Sworn in as the 33rd United States president, after Franklin D. Roosevelt’s sudden death, Harry S. Truman presided over the end of WWII. When Truman learned of the success of the “Manhattan Project” he knew that he was faced with a decision of unparalleled gravity. He was well aware that the capacity to end the war with Japan was in his hands, however, he was also aware that it would involve unleashing the most terrible weapon the world had ever known. July 26, 1945 President Truman, United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Government Chiang Kaishek, released the Potsdam Declaration. This decree outlined and detailed the terms of surrender for the Japanese Empire as agreed upon at the Potsdam Conference. Japan was offered the ultimatum of surrender or face “prompt and utter destruction.” On August 6, 1945 Colonel Paul Tibbet piloted the “Enola Gay” along with co-pilot Robert Lewis, over the city of Hiroshima, Japan and dropped a weapon of mass destruction. We know this ingenious evil as “Little Boy”. …show more content…
The ultimate decision on where to drop the bomb was Hiroshima. Hiroshima was primary target due to it being largely untouched by bomb raids and the bombs effects could clearly be measured. Taking this in account, visual, instead of radar, bombing would be used to drop the bomb that way pictures of the bombs damage could be taken. President Truman had hoped for a true military target to drop the bomb on, going back to the whole principal of revenge, but some advisors believed and assured him that bombing an urban area might weaken the fight will of the Japanese people. Hiroshima was a major port and military headquarters making it a strategic target to
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