What alternatives were there to the atomic bomb?
“It is an awful responsibility that has come to us,” the president wrote. President Truman had four options: 1) continue conventional bombing of Japanese cities; 2) invade Japan; 3) demonstrate the bomb on an unpopulated island; or, 4) drop the bomb on an inhabited Japanese city.
Why did the US use the atomic bomb against the Japanese?
The explicit reason was to swiftly end the war with Japan. But it was also intended to send a message to the Soviets. Ever since America dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945, the question has persisted: Was that magnitude of death and destruction really needed to end World War II?
What was the alternative to nuking Japan?
President Harry Truman had many alternatives at his disposal for ending the war: invade the Japanese mainland, hold a demonstration of the destructive power of the atomic bomb for Japanese dignitaries, drop an atomic bomb on selected industrial Japanese cities, bomb and blockade the islands, wait for Soviet entry into …
Why did the US bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki instead of Tokyo?
One (big) reason was because Hiroshima and Nagaski were two cities left in a very small pool which had not been bombed yet. Tokyo, as well as many of Japan’s other major cities, had already been heavily damaged by previous bombings.
Why was the use of the atomic bomb not justified?
First, some historians argue that the atomic bombing of Japan was not justified because they consider the use of the bombs to be inhumane. In general, bombs of any sort are devastating and can cause widespread damage and death. Therefore, it has been argued that the bombs were inhumane and should not have been used.
Why was the atomic bomb used in ww2?
The United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, killing 210,000 people—children, women, and men. President Truman authorized the use of the atom bombs in an effort to bring about Japan’s surrender in the Second World War.
What promise would be made to Japan if they would surrender?
The declaration claimed that “unintelligent calculations” by Japan’s military advisers had brought the country to the “threshold of annihilation.” Hoping that the Japanese would “follow the path of reason,” the leaders outlined their terms of surrender, which included complete disarmament, occupation of certain areas.
What was the impact of using the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
By the end of 1945, the bombing had killed an estimated 140,000 people in Hiroshima, and a further 74,000 in Nagasaki. In the years that followed, many of the survivors would face leukemia, cancer, or other terrible side effects from the radiation.