In the history of the modern world, perhaps the most controversial military decision on record is that of the United States bombing the cities of Japan’s Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The question asked by many revolves around the factors that propelled the American government into using the atomic bombs as the Second World War concluded. To that end, an analysis of the events that led to the August 6 dropping of the first nuclear bomb on Hiroshima in 1945 provides multiple possible explanations. Apparently, a single theory cannot give proper responses on the matter and any ideas that hint on one factor being what determined whether the United States would use the nuclear weapons or not has a flaw. After all, when President Harry Truman agreed to the two bombings, his decision stemmed from the political, social, and militant interests of the Americans and they did not consider the position of Japan in the same.
Foremost, while justifying its decision to use the atomic bombs, the United States argued that it was the most efficient method of ensuring Japan’s surrender and ending the war. In the views of prominent government officials, such as President Truman, the Second World War needed to end, and if that plan failed then the lives of many more Americans were at stake (Foner 702). However, according to a Japanese peace move dated July 12, 1945, Japan was already considering the “termination of war” and putting plans for new agreements with the United States and the Soviet Union in motion (Clarke, Magic-Diplomatic Summary). Meanwhile, an exposé by Walter Trohan informed readers of the Chicago Sunday Tribune on 19 August 1945 found out that, seven months before the atomic bombs, Japan made its first peace bid that some government officials kept hidden (1). Concurrently, the targeting of two cities was unimpressive from a military standpoint because there were only 40,000 soldiers in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but 280,000 civilians (Foner 701). The given demographics render the atomic bombs not only unnecessary but also pointless and immoral as the number of victims encompassed many people that did not take an active part in the war.
Subsequently, and as if to elaborate on why the killings were baseless, the interval between the two bombings lasted only three days and throughout the brief period, Japan was in chaos as the government and its people sought to care for the injured and the dead bodies. One Philip Morrison explained the problem correctly as he asserted, “Hiroshima consumed bandages and doctors” but could only produce multiple numbers of the wounded after the first bombing (Hiroshima Missing). Evidently, there was no time for Japan to respond to the United States call for “unconditional surrender” as the country dealt with the injured and the dead in Hiroshima. Therefore, while the United States could explain the Hiroshima bombing as a military tactic, that of Nagasaki was something else because three days was too short a period for the Japanese government to respond and do damage control in their territories. Evidently, there was a need for the United States to demonstrate the power of the atomic bomb to international observers and the cities of Japan were perfect for the same (Foner 702).
In conclusion, the use of atomic bombs against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was unnecessary because it gave the United States no particular advantage in the Second World War. Politically, Japan was already surrendering, morally, many civilians died, economically the war was ending, so the United States had no need for such drastic measures, and from the military point of view, the Americans acted as one would expect bullies to when they look for their prey. Eventually, the actual enemy of the United States emerged in the form of the Soviet Union and perhaps the misused atomic bombs would have been more useful to wade off the latter group.
Works Cited
Clarke, Carter W. "Magic-Diplomatic Summary." 12 July 1945. The National Security Archive: The George Washington University. Web. 14 March 2016. <http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB162/29.pdf>.
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!: An American History. 4th. Vol. II. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2013. Print.
Morrison, Philip. "Hiroshima Missing." Coronet October 1946: 150. Web. <http://www.oldmagazinearticles.com/article-summary/hiroshima_devestated_1945#.VuYQ4fl97IU>.
Trohan, Walter. "Bare Peace Bid U.S. Rebuffed 7 Months Ago." Chicago Sunday Tribune 19 August 1945: 1. Web. <http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1945/08/19/page/1/article/bare-peace-bid-u-s-rebuffed-7-months-ago/>.
