There was a fear that if the bomb did not work on Germany that the Germans would be able to disassemble it and figure out how to make it work. There was not this fear with Japan. Also a revenge factor was set in the heart of Americans ever since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Many feel that the production of the atomic bomb brought about an arms race that cost millions of money. Others feel that the Cold War was something that was unavoidable.
The American citizens were behind using the bomb because they were tired of the war. It had been five years and many had not seen their loved ones and were afraid they would not ever again if they had to invade Japan's mainland. Americans were not willing to sacrifice more lives to end this war. They felt that the developed technology should be used. After all, creating the atomic bomb had been a long and hard task. It had taken many years of planning, developing, and testing. The making of the bomb combined theories and ideas from countless chemists and physicists. Most of all it had cost large amounts of money and the project workers feared being investigated by the postwar Congress if it was discovered that funding had gone to a secret project with nothing to sho
The alternative to dropping the bomb was an all out invasion of Japan with continued bombing raids. In July 1945, an invasion was being planned by all of the allies. The plan included the United State's Navy whose role was to impose a blockade on Japan to try to strangle them economically into surrender. Then on July 16 the A-bomb was successfully tested. Truman then made his decision to use it unless Japan surrendered. On July 26 Truman, Churchill, and Chiang Kai-shek issued an ultimatum demanding the unconditional surrender of Japan. Japan chose not to surrender at that time. Feelings of a British scientist P.M.S. Blackett were a bit different. He wrote a book titled Fear, War, and the Bomb, in which he said that the United States wanted to end the war with Japan prior to Russia's entrance. Blackett felt that the USA wanted all of the credit for defeating Japan and that we were hoping to deter Russia from invading other lands in an effort to suppress Communism. He feels that the dropping of the bomb was the first major operation of the cold diplomatic war with Russia. (www.yahoo.comArtsHumanities History20th_CenturyWorld_War_II Atomic_Bomb_The)
The only language they seem to understand is the one we have been using to bombard them." A US intelligence study does say that Truman knew that the bomb was not really needed. What the study does not point out is that Stalin's declaration of war was not really sufficient enough for Truman's decision. He did not feel Stalin was that dependable. The Russian leader had promised for months to enter the war against Japan but never did make a declaration until August the sixth, the day of the bombing of Hiroshima. An American soldier stationed in North Africa had an opinion that supported Truman's beliefs about Russia. The soldier felt that it would be ridiculous to expect the Soviet Union to enter the war against Japan for three main reasons: the Soviets had heavy losses fighting Germany; the soldiers were left exhausted and starving; and they would have to be transported almost halfway around the globe from western Russian to the eastern front. This soldier's credibility is not known but his statement fits in with Truman's own beliefs.
Initiated by Leo Szilard, a petition was made tat the bomb should only be used if Japan refused to surrender, even after they knew about the bob and it's destructive capabilities. The military pressures came from discussions and meetings Truman had with Henry Stimson, Marshal. Chief of Staff Admiral William Leahy, Secretary of War Stimson convinced Truman to set an invasion of the island of Kyushu for November 1945. Truman knew of the costly fighting currently taking place in the pacific, and naturally had a desire to minimize what he felt would inevitably be a long, bloody struggle. Stimson, Truman and the others believed the invasion of the Japanese mainland would be extremely costly, and therefore embraced the bomb as a military weapon. He decided to use the atomic bomb until the Japanese surrendered.
The American citizens were behind using the bomb because they were tired of the war. It had been five years and many had not seen their loved ones and were afraid they would not ever again if they had to invade Japan's mainland. Americans were not willing to sacrifice more lives to end this war. They felt that the developed technology should be used. After all, creating the atomic bomb had been a long and hard task. It had taken many years of planning, developing, and testing. The making of the bomb combined theories and ideas from countless chemists and physicists. Most of all it had cost large amounts of money and the project workers feared being investigated by the postwar Congress if it was discovered that funding had gone to a secret project with nothing to show for it.
August 6th, 1945, is a day that will never be forgotten because it marks the world's first use of and atomic bomb that was dropped on the city of Hiroshima by the
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