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Was President Harry S Turman Right Or Wrong In Deciding To Drop The Atomic Bomb On Japan

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Was President Harry S Turman Right Or Wrong In Deciding To Drop The Atomic Bomb On Japan
Was President Harry S Truman right or wrong in deciding to drop the atomic bomb on Japan (thesis) and why (evidence)?
On the 6th of August 1945 the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan killing 70,000 citizens instantly and a further 10,000 perished from burns and radiation sickness1. President Harry Truman was wrong to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. One of his reasons for dropping the bomb was to end an ongoing war; his reason behind this was that to end the war in such a way would cease anymore-continuous damage2. Although this shows good intentions he did not decrease any damage in anyway and was in fact being quite selfish. The only damage that was ceased was the damage being put upon the United States which can be argued that as he was the president, was right to be only protecting his own country. He had many ideas put forth that were far less damaging. A few of the ideas put forward were to invade Japanese mainland, hold a demonstration of the destructive power of the atomic bomb for Japanese dignitaries, bomb and blockade the islands, wait for the Soviet Union to enter the war on August 15th or to compromise peace. He did not give any of these ideas a chance to go through with them. I believe he did not wait for the Soviet Union to enter and wanted to drop the atomic bomb as a warning to them, he wanted them to see how powerful the United States was and was not to be messed with. Ethically what he did was wrong, not only had Hiroshima become inhabitable for years after but also people affected by the radiation were to be affecting generations to come. Miscarriages, stillbirths and birth defect rates were increasing significantly, many children were born with mental disabilities, stunted growth or a condition called microcephaly where their heads were unusually small3. Before giving the order to drop the bomb he did not have tests carried out to see the extent of radiation sickness the bomb could cause and had no idea of how far the



Bibliography: Hersey, John. Hiroshima. New York: Knopf, 1946. "The Decision to Drop the Bomb." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2014. <http://www.ushistory.org/us/51g.asp>. Adams, Cecil. "If Nuclear Fallout Lasts Thousands of Years, How Did Hiroshima and Nagasaki Recover so Quickly?" The Straight Dope:. Sun-Times Media, 29 Aug. 2003. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. <http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2466/if-nuclear-fallout-lasts-thousands-of-years-how-did-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-recover-so-quickly>. "Atomic Bomb-Truman Press Release-August 6, 1945." Atomic Bomb-Truman Press Release-August 6, 1945. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2014. <http://www.trumanlibrary.org/teacher/abomb.htm>. Sanghavi, Darshak. "The Safety Risks of Minimal Exposure to Radiation Are Unclear."Nuclear Power. Ed. Lynn M. Zott and Helga Schier. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Tiny Nuke—How Dangerous Are Small Doses of Radiation?" www.slate.com. 2011. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. Wittner, Lawrence S. "There Is an Ongoing Danger of Nuclear War." Nuclear Armament. Ed. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "The Ongoing Danger of Nuclear War." hnn.us. 2009. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 21 Oct. 2014. Barnes, Michael. "The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb: Arguments Against." The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb: Arguments Against. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. <http://www.authentichistory.com/1939-1945/1-war/4-Pacific/4-abombdecision/3-against/>.

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