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Patrick O’Neill

Truman and the Atomic Bomb

The decision of when and where to deploy the first atomic bomb was

controversial to say the least. It was guaranteed to cause immense amounts

of destruction and many deaths, not to mention all of the injured civilians,

some of them permanently disfigured. It was so controversial that two of the

groups working on the development of the atomic bomb could not agree on

the circumstances regarding its use. Leo Oppenheimer and his team were in

favor of swift, decisive action. Szilard and his cohort were in favor of giving

Japan a warning of the destruction to come and to present alternative

options. Each party was able to defend their position with compelling

arguments.

Both groups were in favor of ending the Pacific Campaign, they just

had different ideas on the means required. Szilard and his team pointed out

that there were inherent dangers in the direct display of power.(Kordas) Their

idea was to take a more conservative approach with more diplomacy and a

firm warning of the potential for destruction. The concern was that when the

rest of the developed countries witnessed the power of the atomic bomb,

that they would start their own atomic programs.(Kordas) This instance could

potentially lead to all future conflicts becoming nuclear conflicts. Szilard went

as far to write a letter to Truman requesting that the atomic bomb not be

used.(Szilard) Oppenheimer’s group was in favor of immediate use with the

ultimate goal being to end the war promptly and demonstrate militaristic
superiority to the rest of the world. Oppenheimer was of the position that

saving lives was of the utmost importance. While both were well presented

opinions, I believe that Szilard’s opinion was more compelling. It presented

both short term and long term consequences. It also foreshadowed the

nuclear arms race that occurred from the 1950’s on.

Neither Oppenheimer nor Szilard wrote of being exceptionally

concerned with the impact that the bomb would have on Japan or the

citizens of Japan.(World History) Their concerns were much more oriented to

consequences for the United States. They also expressed concern for

potential global instability caused by displaying the power of the atomic

bomb. Szilard stated that “If after this war a situation is allowed to develop in

the world which permits rival powers to be in uncontrolled possession of

these new means of destruction, the cities of the United States as well as the

cities of other nations will be in continuous danger of sudden

annihilation.”(World History)

President Truman stated that “It is an awful responsibility that has

come to us,” in reference to the idea of using the atomic bomb.(Harry

Truman’s Decision) In this circumstance, Truman had to evaluate 4 different

options as to how to proceed. He could use conventional warfare, invade,

take Szilard’s advice and demonstrate the atomic bomb, or use the atomic

bomb. Conventional bombing and ground invasion were both ruled out as

conventional bombing had failed to weaken the resolve of the Japanese

people prior to that point and Truman was of the mindset that a ground
invasion would just result in a greater loss of American lives. In May 1945,

Truman formed the Interim Committee to advise him on nuclear energy and

the use of nuclear weapons.(World History) The general consensus was that

a demonstration could not be relied upon to bring an end to the war. This left

the final option, deploying the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and later,

Nagasaki. In the week prior to the deployment, Truman wrote in his personal

diary, “We have discovered the most terrible bomb in the history of the

world. It may be the fire destruction prophesied in the Euphrates Valley Era,

after Noah and his fabulous Ark.”(Letter from Truman) Based on these

statements, Truman had a healthy respect for the power of the atomic bomb

but he viewed it as the best possible option when presented with the

alternatives. Szilard’s team seemed to have a similar mindset. While Truman

ultimately dropped the bomb without completing all of the recommendations

of the Szilard letter, there is clear evidence that Truman had a respect for the

power that he held in the form of being able to make the final call on how to

proceed with dropping the bomb or not.

If I was in Truman’s situation, I would struggle with the ethical position

and if there was other strategic options that could render a similar

conclusion. Ethically, I don’t know how I would reconcile the idea of dropping

an atomic bomb on civilians simply because just being a citizen of a country

doesn’t mean that one shares the same ideals. Worse yet would be the idea

of killing innocent children. On the other hand, I am not sure how I would

weigh the lives of my own countrymen against the civilians of another


country. Are they empirically worth more because of their heritage? I would

also have issues with moving straight to dropping the bomb without a

demonstration. I am aware that there is a significant fiscal imperative to

making each weapon count but if I thought that there was even a remote

possibility that there would be a surrender based on just the demonstration, I

would’ve attempted that route first. Ultimately, I would drop the bomb if

there was no other feasible option, but the decision would likely haunt me.

Works Cited

“Harry Truman’s Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb (U.S. National Park

Service).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior,

www.nps.gov/articles/trumanatomicbomb.htm#:~:text=It%20was

%20created%20to%20destroy,us%2C”%20the%20president%20wrote.

Accessed 29 Oct. 2024.

“J. Robert Oppenheimer (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service,

U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/people/manhattan-project-

scientists-j-robert-oppenheimer.htm?

utm_source=person&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=experience_mo

re&utm_content=small. Accessed 29 Oct. 2024.

Kordas, Ann, et al. World History from 1400, OpenStax,

openstax.org/details/books/world-history-volume-2. Accessed 29 Oct. 2024.


“Leo Szilard (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S.

Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/people/manhattan-project-

scientists-leo-szilard.htm. Accessed 29 Oct. 2024.

Truman, Harry S. “Letter from Truman to James L Cate.” SDA World History,

sdaworldhistory.edublogs.org/files/2016/09/DBQ-Buddhism-page-1-

1w58wvn.pdf. Accessed 29 Oct. 2024.

Truman, Harry S. “Personal Diary.” Harry S. Truman, Personal Diary, 1945,

MIT, web.mit.edu/21h.102/www/Primary%20source%20collections/World

%20War%20II/Truman,%20Diary.html. Accessed 29 Oct. 2024.

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