Trumans Utter Destruction with the Atomic Bomb - 1079 Words

Truman had several options presented from his Joint Chiefs of Staff. First option was the invasion of the Mainland of Japan, specifically Kyushu. (36) Second option was to continue bombing Japan’s infrastructure and food supply. (39) Third option was to wait on the till the Soviets acted upon their agreement and join the war against Japan. (41) Fourth option was to change the policy of unconditional surrender to allow Japan to keep Emperor Hirohito on his throne. (42) The final option Truman received the most attention after successful testing was to use the atomic bombs. (50) The first option of an invasion I believe would have been at an extreme cost of human life. â€Å"180,000 Marine and Army soldiers launched an assault on the island†¦show more content†¦(43) Leading to the fourth option Truman received, the possibility to change the terms of what an unconditional surrender would entail. The problem Truman ran into was that if he tried to change the terms of unconditional surrender is that unconditional surrender was extremely popular within the populace of the United States. (46) Truman was afraid if he changed the policy they would see him as weak and lose faith in him being a powerful leader and wouldn’t vote for him in the next elections. Also another major downfall in this policy change is this could do the opposite effect of what it was meant to do and â€Å"it would strengthen the position of the Japanese militarists, undermine morale at home, and creating significant political hazards for the president†¦. Changing a pop ular policy and potentially prolonging the war was a chancy and potentially disastrous venture.† (47) I don’t believe this option by itself would be the best one, due to the uncertainty of what the policy change would’ve triggered and possibly prolonging the war and there was just no way to know for certain if Japan would accept the new terms and end the war. The final option, the use of both atomic bombs, although not a necessity to bring the war to and end I believe it was the best available option to bring the war to a close as quickly as possible. The Supreme Council for the Direction of the War â€Å"received shocking news that Nagasaki had been hit with an atomicShow MoreRelatedHarry Trumans Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb1314 Words   |  6 PagesTo what extent was Harry Truman’s decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki justified? A. 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