Question

What did Presidents Roosevelt and Truman both believe about the bomb from the beginning? That it was too powerful a weapon to use except as a final resource that it should be used if it would shorten the war or save American lives that it would serve as a reminder to all nations that attacking America would never be tolerated

Answer 1

The correct answer is if it would shorten the war or save American lives.

This rationale helps us to understand why Truman ended up using bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After hearing from military generals and other personnel, it was estimated that a land invasion of mainland Japan would need another D-Day style invasion in order to be successful. This type of large scale invasion would likely cost 500,000 American casualties. However, the use of the atomic bomb would not cost any American casualties and could potentially lead to less Japanese casualties than the invasion. In the end, Truman uses this information to make his final decision regarding the atomic bomb.

Answer 2

the answer is b that it should be used if it would shorten the war or save American lives