The Nuclear Bomb The Controversial Devision in World War...

The United States had been in war for almost four years. Over 416,800 American lives were taken, and four percent of the worlds population was killed in World War II. America needed a way to end the war as quickly as possible with the fewest U.S. casualties. A Japanese invasion was considered, but it would put American lives at stake. With the invention of the atomic bomb, President Truman made the most debated decision: the decision to use the most deadly weapon ever invented- the nuclear bomb. It was a very controversial decision. On one hand, the nuclear warheads ended World War II as quick as possible. On the other hand, it created mass destruction and devastated the two cities targeted: Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Some say that the†¦show more content†¦The cities were chosen because they were untouched during the war. There were two main reasons to drop the bomb. One was because of the cost of the Manhattan Project, which cost an estimated $1,889,604,000 (in 1945 dollars) t hrough December 31, 1945. The other reason was to respond to Pearl Harbor. Truman said that When you have to deal with a beast you have to treat him as a beast. On July 26, 1945, President Harry S. Truman, United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Chairman of the Nationalist Government of China Chiang Kai-Shek issued the Potsdam Declaration, which called for the surrender of all Japanese armed forces during World War II. It stated that if Japan did not surrender, it would face prompt and utter destruction. It demanded an unconditional surrender and for Japan to disarm its military forces. American bombers dropped over three million leaflets, which explained that some cities listed on the leaflet would be destroyed by American bombs. The cities contained military installations and workshops or factories which produced military goods. Nagasaki was one of Japans most important ports providing access to and from Shanghai. Hiroshima contained an embarkation port and a major mi litary headquarters. The leaflets warned civilians to evacuate the cities named and told Japanese people to demand new and good leaders who would end the war. This message was broadcasted to the Japanese people