Question

Supporters of the atomic bomb argued against the idea that the US should not use the bomb against Japan by.... A) suggesting the destruction would not be any greater than at Pearl Harbor. B) noting the bomb would mainly destroy buildings rather than kill people C) suggesting the bomb would only be used on important military targets. D) noting that firebombing had already caused extensive damage in Japan.

Answer 1

The answer is D.

From 1944 to 1945, the Allied forces implemented strategic bombing raids in Japan. The casualties of Japanese citizens was between 241,000 and 900,000. By the time the United States dropped the atomic bombs, Japan was severely injured from this firebombing. 

Answer 2

Answer: D) noting that firebombing had already caused extensive damage in Japan.

Close to the end of World War II, the United States detonated two nuclear weapons over Hiroshima (August 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (August 9, 1945), two Japanese cities. The United States dropped the bombs after obtaining the consent of the United Kingdom. The two bombings killed 129,000-226,000 people, mostly civilians.

Before the atomic bombs, the allies had already conducted many air raids on Japan. Strategic bombing raids began in June 1944 and continued until the end of the war. These attacks destroyed about 67 Japanese cities. These extensive attacks and the damage they had caused were some of the main arguments used by supporters of the atomic bomb.

However, during the planning of the nuclear attacks, the Air Forces were looking for cities that had not been damaged extensively by the raids, as they believed this would make the assessment of the damage more accurate.