U.S. History II H
January 6, 2010
The Atomic Bomb:
The Decision to Drop it
America’s final decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan in World War 2 has been one of tremendous controversy and is stilling being debated today. In fact, although many countries such as the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, and North Korea are known to hold them, only two atomic weapons have been used offensively in the history of warfare. Through a series of projects in collaboration with other countries, the secret Manhattan Project developed the first ever atomic bomb in history. There are arguments for and against the use of the bombs, along with my opinion on this topic based on information from research.
When it was completed, President Truman approved of the atomic bomb to be used against Japan. This was justified by a combination of reasons: punishment, cost of the war, saving lives, and ending the war more quickly. (Dinkins 1) After testing the atomic bomb, code-named “The Gadget”, in New Mexico, the first atomic bomb ever to be used in a military operation, named “Little Boy,” was detonated by an airplane called the “Enola Gay” over Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. The bombing of Hiroshima was a strategic maneuver because it was a city of significant military importance as it was a major storage point, communications center, and place to assemble the troops. The second bomb, which was released on Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, three days after the first bombing, was called “Fat Man.” The plane that dropped the second bomb was called “Bockscar.” Nagasaki was another city of military importance because it had one of the largest sea ports in Japan and contained industries that produced weapons, ammunition, ships, military equipment, and other war supplies.
The events that occurred on the fateful days of August 6 and August 9 had caused 14,000 people to die by the end of 1945 as a direct result of the bombing and another...