Was Truman right to drop the atomic bomb?

Answer 1

This is a copy of a summer project that I did for my school on why Truman should not have dropped the bomb, which I hope answers your question.

Dear President Truman:

As your most trusted advisor, and having explored all possible options, I have decided to strongly suggest that you NOT DROP the atomic bomb.

First and foremost, the bomb would kill millions of innocent people who do not care about the war. They have not provoked us in any way, and should not be harmed. These people do not participate in the war, even if they reluctantly send their fathers and husbands off to fight in the army. They are forced to do this by their government. The Japanese are not savage people, and should be considered a human being, just like everyone in the United States and the other countries.

Another reason to not drop the bomb is that we can avoid this, which I know you would prefer over dropping it. Through careful examination, I have come to the conclusion that we can show the Japanese what the bomb can do, just like we did in the test. Hopefully, they would surrender. They know that know we know how to build it, and we can make many more before they have a chance to strike.

A third and last reason for you not to drop the bomb is that it would deplete our stores of material, so we could not build any other thing, unless we raised the taxes very, very high. Making this bomb is very taxing on what we have in store, and I don't know how much will be left after it is dropped, if you decide it should be so. The people of the United States are sure to want you out of office if you raise the taxes. I'm sure that you'd like to be reelected for office, and this would make your chances of winning at about zero.

Truly, it would be a wise idea to not drop the atomic bomb for the reasons stated above.

Answer 2

Opinions on this issue vary widely. Some argue that dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki hastened the end of World War II, saving lives that would have been lost in a prolonged conflict. Others believe that the use of such a devastating weapon was morally questionable and that alternative options should have been pursued. Ultimately, whether Truman was right or not is subjective and depends on one's perspective on the ethical and strategic considerations involved.