Question

President Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb was viewed as controversial, and it is still debated today. Was using the atomic bomb necessary? Why or why not? (answer in own thought please and thank you!)

Answer 1

Negative argument about droping the bomb.

Some military analysts insist that Japan was on its knees and the bombings were simply unnecessary. The American government was accused of racism on the grounds that such a device would never have been used against white civilians.

Positive argument about droping the bomb.

Other critics argued that American diplomats had ulterior motives. The Soviet Union had entered the war against Japan, and the atomic bomb could be read as a strong message for the Soviets to tread lightly. In this respect, Hiroshima and Nagasaki may have been the first shots of the Cold War as well as the final shots of World War II. Regardless, the United States remains the only nation in the world to have used a nuclear weapon on another nation.