The United States decision to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki essays

The United States decision to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki essays The United States decision to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki In World War 2 the United states of America made a major decision in their reaction to the bombings they received in Pearl Harbour, they choose to demonstrate there power once and for all to the rest of the world, by making a very controversial decision. On December 7, 1941 the Japanese attacked the American fleet at Pearl Harbour. Taking the Americans by surprise 19 ships were sunk and about 2,400 American soldiers and sailors were killed. Four years later, on August 6 and August 9, 1945 the Americans would take the Japanese by surprise by destroying the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with two atomic bombs. This decision is still an ongoing debate with many historians and politicians on why the atomic bomb, and why these cities. Harry Truman said in regard to the atomic bomb, "it seems to be the most terrible thing ever discovered, but it can be made the most useful" The atomic bomb could very well be the most terrible thing ever invented. It is a weapon of destruction. When first tested with only thirteen pounds of the explosive, the bomb left a crater six feet deep and twelve hundred feet in diameter as well as causing a sixty foot steel tower to literally disappear. This test which occurred in New Mexico was visible from two hundred miles away and could be heard up to forty miles away (Kurzman). With the destructive ability of this weapon in mind, using the bomb certainly would have been one of the most difficult decisions for Truman to make. He decided to use the bomb in order to shorten the war. His reasoning was that countless lives would be saved while delivering all people who were currently under Japanese rule. He gave Japan a chance to surrender, but they declined so he went on with the plan t o drop the bomb called "Little Boy." This "Little Boy" weighed 8,000 pounds and contained destructive power equal to 12.5 kilotons of TNT . One 6 ...