Numerous factors led to the bombardment of Hiroshima. President Truman had to make difficult choices at the moment regarding the bombing. It is sufficient to note that Hiroshima was the target of the first atomic bomb during World War II. The bomb's detonation would result in the deaths of about 200,000 Japanese people and severe city devastation. (Yoneyama 23). The United States of America would have run the danger of being invaded by Japan if the president had not taken this courageous action. It is argued that more casualties would be unavoidable if Japan invaded the United States. The President weighed the pros and drawbacks of bombing Hiroshima from a political, moral, and military standpoint. This paper is seeking to explain why I support the Hiroshima bombing.
The first argument in support of the bombing is that the bomb helped in saving Americans lives. Concerns were rife in Washington about the determination of Japanese to fight literally to death. Indeed, Japanese resorted to suicide as an honorable alternative to surrendering. The American military had been involved in two operations that included Operation Torch and Operation Coronet in the Japanese main islands (Sherwin 1092). The operations were condemned as Operation Downfall, and it was clear to both the Americans and Japanese there were no substantial landing sites, and in any case, there would be a large number of Japanese concentrated there. Further, there was a general feeling among the Americans that it was crucial in shortening the ongoing wars in the Japanese islands. After bombing Hiroshima, Japan requested that the war should be halted and Emperor announced the Japanese surrender.
The second argument in support of the bombing is that the decision arrived by a committee of shared responsibility. President Truman never acted unilaterally, but he sought the input of a committee of shared responsibility. The committee gave the president advice relating to nuclear energy. The committee had the opinion that there was no any other acceptable alternative to direct military engagement (Hogan 87). The intense consultations show that Washington looked at all the available options before going to war. This paper posits that the bombing of Hiroshima was well thought of regarding pros and cons. By involving other stakeholders in the security of United States of America, President Truman was able to arrive at a decision that perhaps was the best in securing the interest of America as a nation.
The third reason in support of Hiroshima bombing gravitates on the notion that the Japanese received a fair warning by the United States. These warnings were given in the form of Potsdam Declaration and leaflets. Indeed, Japan was offered enough opportunity to surrender but refused to do so. President Truman alongside the Allies gave the final ultimatum to Japan on realizing that the Los Alamos test was successful (Treat 21). The Potsdam Declaration was clear that the government of Japan would be dismantled, military occupation of Japan, and reduction in the size of Japan and its borders if Japan invaded America. The Potsdam Declaration required the government to provide unconditional surrender of the armed forces or face utter or prompt destruction. It is clear that Japan was alerted of the impending invasion by the United States of America but blatantly ignored. The Japan government should have heeded to the warnings and cooperated with the United States of America to look for amicable solutions to their conflict.
Fourth, Hiroshima bombing was as a result of retaliation for Japanese barbarism. The Japanese military was buoyed by their version of master race theory. The military committed numerous atrocities across the Pacific and Asia (Sherwin 1090). The Japanese military is accused of murdering civilians, torture, and execution of prisoners, raping women, and forced some to be their sexual slaves (Hogan 67). For instance, when the Japanese military captured the City of Nanjing in China, they went on a rampage. There was the murder of hundred thousand of innocent and unarmed civilians. Further, it is estimated that the military raped between 20,000 to 80,000 children, women, and children (Yoneyama 59). The conduct of the Japanese to Americans reflected “back-stabbing.” Japanese in a surprise attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. The Japanese and the State Department were engaged in diplomatic negotiations, but Japanese reneged on these commitments. President Truman reiterated that bombing of Hiroshima was a consequence of Japan starting the war by attacking the Pearl Harbor.
In conclusion, the bombing of Hiroshima claimed a lot of casualties and destruction of property. The bombing of the city was a culmination of series of attacks and aggression against the United States. It was well within the power of Japanese government to avert the bombing, but it was reluctant to do so. Even after a series of warning including the Potsdam Declaration, the Japanese government showed defiance and meted brutalities in Asia and the Pacific. It is vital to note that Japan was not willing to reach an amicable conflict resolution with the United States. This view is reinforced by the fact Japan attacked the Pearl Harbor when they were engaged in negotiations. In a nutshell, the bombing of Hiroshima acted as a deterrence of continued attacks on the US.
Works Cited
Hogan, Michael J. Hiroshima in History and Memory. Cambridge University Press, 1996.
Sherwin, Martin J. “Hiroshima as Politics and History.” The Journal of American History, vol. 82, no. 3, 1995, pp. 1085–93. JSTOR, doi: 10.2307/2945113.
Treat, John Whittier. Writing Ground Zero: Japanese Literature and the Atomic Bomb. University of Chicago Press, 1996.
Yoneyama, Lisa. Hiroshima Traces: Time, Space, and the Dialectics of Memory. University of California Press, 1999.
