Verified Document

Truman And The Use Of Term Paper

S. had responded by offering the retention of the Japanese Imperial Monarchy instead of insisting on unconditional surrender. Further research on the decoded messages, however, indicate that the militarists still dominated the power hierarchy in Japan and they were willing to fight to the bitter end, despite their precarious military position. They were depending on the war-wariness of the Americans. Their theory being that the United States was unwilling to bear more casualties and any major setback to the American forces during a planned invasion of the Japanese mainland would improve Japan's bargaining position and obtain a peace agreement. In other words, the Japanese military leaders were only agreeable to a ceasefire and unwilling to consider surrender. They wanted to retain the militarist policies of the government and with the hawks dominating the corridors of power, there were no chances of an early end to the War in August of 1945. It was only the shock of the devastating power of the atomic bombs, which broke the hold of the militarists over the Japanese government and enabled the doves to consider surrender (Wainstock, 1996, pp. 44-57; Frank, 2005) All of above, by no means suggests that President Truman's decision to use the atomic bomb was based solely on the desire to end the war quickly and save lives. Other considerations may well have played a part in the decision albeit to a lesser extent. For example, the Manhattan Project initiated for the development of the atomic bomb had cost over $2 billion, which was an enormous amount for the time. President Truman must have been under considerable pressure to justify the expenditure to the Congress if the bomb had not been used. The potential rivalry of the United States with the Soviet Union in...

Most of all, the American public's desire for revenge and to punish the Japanese for its attack on Pearl Harbor and its atrocious treatment of American prisoners meant that Truman would not have felt any remorse for ordering the devastating attacks.
The dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945 respectively demonstrated the awesome power of the most lethal weapon ever devised by man. Although there were several reasons behind President Truman's decision, his desire to end the War quickly and to save American lives was the primary motive.

References

Frank, R.B. (2005). "Why Truman Dropped the Bomb." The Weekly Standard.

08/08/2005, Volume 010, Issue 44.

Truman, the Bomb, and What Was Necessary." (2005). Seattle Times News Services, August 06, 1995. Retrieved on October 4, 2007 at http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=2135131&date=19950806&query=President+Truman%2C+in+a+speech+on+August+6%2C+1945

Wainstock, D.D. (1996). "The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb." Praeger: Westport, CT.

18,000 American soldiers were killed during the fighting at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, while 120,000 Japanese troops and 42,000 civilians died in a fanatical defense of Okinawa alone ("Truman, the Bomb, and..." 1995).

There are various estimates of the expected American casualties during an invasion of the mainland ranging from a couple of hundred thousand to a million; estimates for Japanese casualties were several times higher (Ibid.)

Atomic Bomb

Sources used in this document:
References

Frank, R.B. (2005). "Why Truman Dropped the Bomb." The Weekly Standard.

08/08/2005, Volume 010, Issue 44.

Truman, the Bomb, and What Was Necessary." (2005). Seattle Times News Services, August 06, 1995. Retrieved on October 4, 2007 at http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=2135131&date=19950806&query=President+Truman%2C+in+a+speech+on+August+6%2C+1945

Wainstock, D.D. (1996). "The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb." Praeger: Westport, CT.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Truman Capote the Life, the
Words: 2786 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

I had to go into town on Saturdays to the dentist and I joined the Sunshine Club that was organized by the Mobile Press Register." He goes on to tell about entering a work of writing on the children's page publication, which he had called "Old Mr. Busybody." The first installment of his writing appeared in a Sunday edition under his real name, which was Truman Streckfus Persons. The

Truman Doctrine the First Episode That Led
Words: 559 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Truman Doctrine The first episode that led to the development of what came to be known as the Truman Doctrine occurred in 1947, when Truman asked Congress to provide monetary aid to Greece and Turkey to support their fight against encroaching Communist elements (Spalding 2006; Murrin et al. 2008). Truman's justification for this, and the concept that became his eponymous Doctrine, was that any free people should be supported in their

Truman Show Is the Movie
Words: 1810 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Much like the assertion of Dusty Lavoie earlier in this paper, Simone Knox believes that "…little detailed analysis has been offered on the film" (Knox, 2010, 1). Knox takes care of that problem with a long essay that, in the end, compares "Seahaven" with Disneyland. But along the way Knox affirms the artistic legitimacy of The Truman Show, adding that the film does "not ask the audience to work out

Truman Doctrine: An Overview Dr. Tinsley the
Words: 870 Length: 3 Document Type: Research Paper

Truman Doctrine: An Overview Dr. Tinsley The Truman Doctrine was the first, formal statement by a U.S. president that America would intervene in the affairs of the world in a formal and consistent manner. It was the death knell of American isolationism and was an open acknowledgement of America's position as a world power willing to take aggressive action in international affairs. Truman unambiguously characterized the Soviet Union as evil, casting America's

Truman Capote Was One of
Words: 1569 Length: 5 Document Type: Thesis

8. How does Capote develop and reveal his attitude in the description of the prison on pages 309 and 310? First, Capote sets the idea of the Leavenworth Prison as more of an economic (therefore tactical) boon to the local economy. His prose tells the reader that the Penitentiary for men is almost medieval in nature (turreted black and white palace), but built in the Civil War (therefore outdated and

Truman and the Atomic Bomb
Words: 3940 Length: 12 Document Type: Thesis

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's executive order to contain Japanese-Americans in internment camps could have created mistrust in the Japanese and their descendants in the U.S. Such racial antagonism could have made many Americans feel justified to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. Earlier Presidential Statement and Other Motivations The decision to bomb Japan's cities may not be deduced from documents during President Truman's presidency or blamed entirely on President Truman. A

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now