February 15, 2011

George's Opinion on the Atomic Bomb



In my opinion, I believe that the decision by the United States of dropping the Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was justifiable one.  Had the Americans not dropped the Atomic Bomb, the war in the Pacific would have prolonged for an unforeseen amount of time. In the video Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki by the BBC, you can see clearly, the fanatical amount of pride and passion, for which many of the Japanese fought with under the Emperor system,, in which surrounding was one of the most shameful actions that could be committed. The Japanese believed it was more prideful to commit suicide, rather than surrender to the enemy. If the Americans had not dropped the Atomic Bombs, the only option left would have been to have to invade the mainland of Japan. As historians, we can look back and see past battles of small islands, such as Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, and Peleliou, and see that the Japanese fought until the last man had died fighting for his country. Imagine invading the mainland of Japan, were the citizens and army men would fight to the death. Although the bomb killed many citizens of Japan, it ultimately saved the lives of many more Japanese and American marines, army men, and citizens than were lost to the destruction of the bombs.

Although killing someone is never ok, nor is going to war, it is sometimes the only option left for a nation. The decision of dropping the Atomic Bomb was carefully scrutinized and the use of the bombs, before being dropped on Japan was carefully considered. I do not believe that the United States of America ever wanted to use a bomb of such devastation on any person or place, but were required to save the lives of the citizens of their own country, the opposing country, and most probably the citizens of the entire world. Although the bombs were dropped on military bases and manufacturing centers, thousands of Japanese citizens lived near or on the bases, and would ultimately be affected negatively by the bombs. The U.S. government dropped pamphlets explaining their plan of dropping the bombs, explaining that the citizens should evacuate the surrounding area’s immediately. Although some did, not all did, and their lives were irreversibly changed forever.

The decision to drop the Atomic Bombs was certainly a difficult one, with the deaths and radiation poising of thousands of Japanese civilians, but was the best possible option, that saved the most lives, both of the Americans and the Japanese.

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