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Hiroshima/Nagasaki
The process of island hopping took an increasing toll on American troops. Although the force made steady progress, they met with increasing resistance. Clearly, the desperation of Japanese commanders was growing, but Japanese military culture refused surrender, opting instead for suicide. In combat this might mean kamikaze attacks or having to root out and kill every Japanese soldier on an island. As the Americans closed on Japan they came at last to Okinawa. Unleashing nearly two thousand kamikaze attacks, the Japanese inflicted thousands of casualties, and soldiers dug in throughout the island killed thousands more Americans. In the face of this defense, America realized an invasion of Japan would be costly. Throughout the war a secret group of scientists worked to develop a weapon of terrible proportions. The Manhattan Project brought together physicists to tap the power of the atom. By splitting an atom apart a bomb could release an enormous amount of energy. Robert J. Oppenheimer led the project, developed at secret sites around the country. On July 16, 1945, the scientists detonated the world's first atomic bomb at Alamogordo, New Mexico. As the mushroom cloud rose over the desert, the world was changed, and reflecting on the awesome power of the A-bomb Oppenheimer reflected, "I became death, the shatterer of worlds." This was not a statement of pride or exuberance, but one of being faced with a new, shocking reality. At this point the United States alone possessed the most powerful weapon in the world, capable of destroying a single city with one bomb. The question before President Truman was to bomb or not to bomb. The magnitude of the destruction was so great that it made bombing a moral question, not just a strategic one. Members of the Manhattan Project petitioned President Truman not to use the bomb on moral grounds, while others suggested a demonstration. A demonstration, however, might not succeed, the bomb may not detonate or the Japanese leaders might not surrender even in the face of this power.
In the early morning of August 6, 1945, a single plane, the Enola Gay, dropped a single atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. The bomb detonated over the center of the city, and within seconds the city was destroyed. Over 100,000 people died, many others were left with radiation burns. Three days later the United States bombed the city of Nagasaki. As a result, the Emperor ended the war. On September 2, 1945, the Japanese formally surrendered to General Douglas MacArthur aboard the U.S.S Missouri.
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However,
in the face of increasing casualties and the daunting task of invading
Japan, Truman decided to order the use of the bomb. Thus, the primary
consideration was saving American lives. Other consideration was given
to the expense of the project and the race with the Russians for atomic
development. Not using the bomb might represent a waste of taxpayer
money, while the bomb would give the United States an advantage over
the Soviet Union.
