Hiroshima and Nagasaki Essay -- History, Atomic Bomb

With the approval of American President Harry S. Truman, the fates of two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were sealed. This decision came with heavy hearts, as the United States attempted to end their involvement in World War II by using nuclear power against the nation of Japan. Truman’s primary goal in this form of attack was to discontinue the war as quickly as possible, while also sending a message to the enemy and establish the United States as the leader in atomic energy. Beginning as a secret operation labeled the Manhattan Project, atomic bombs became the new weapons of mass destruction. The evident frontrunner in nuclear technology, the United States was the first country to release atomic bombs on another nation for war purposes (not including testing), eventually creating a window for today’s modern combat. Even though it was common knowledge between scientists since 1939 that nuclear warfare was a possibility, no specialists understood the process of inventing the explosive devices. The United States, along with the United Kingdom, underhandedly worked on the Manhattan project, doling out and collaborating information until the atom bomb was completed. It was a necessity for this international government project to remain a secret, in order to make sure that Germany did not make any atomic discoveries before the Allied powers, and to surprise the Japanese with the bombings. With this goal in mind, it was essential that information would not Due to this cloak-and-dagger secrecy, the attacks were unexpected to the inhabitants of Japan, especially the residents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With specific objectives, the United States’ decision to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima required extensive research lea... ...tops within ten miles of the city there came unofficial and confused reports of a terrible explosion in Hiroshima. All of these reports were transmitted to the Headquarters of the Japanese General Staff† (Avalon Project: Chapter 7, par. 3) .Upon a staff officer’s flight survey of Hiroshima, â€Å" after flying for about three hours, while still nearly 100 miles from Hiroshima, he and his pilot saw a great cloud of smoke from the bomb. In the bright afternoon, the remains of Hiroshima were burning† (Avalon Project: Chapter 7, par. 4-5). While the damage was being observed, â€Å"a great scar on the land, still burning, and covered by a heavy cloud of smoke, was all that was left of a great city. They landed south of the city, and the staff officer immediately began to organize relief measures, after reporting to Tokyo† (Avalon Project: Chapter 7, par. 6).