“Atomic bombs: prevention of a greater evil“

by Brenda Pedreschi

“President Truman's decision to use the atomic bomb on Japan was for the purpose of saving lives and ending the war quickly in order to prevent a disastrous land invasion.“

Americans had always believed that the decision of dropping the atomic bombs on Japan was for solely military reasons. A timely end to the war would mean that no land invasion of Japan is necessary. Such an invasion would have been extraordinarily costly in terms of not only American lives, but also in terms of Japanese dead. Ending the war quickly would return soldiers to their homes and allow Americans to begin a life of normality again.

But truth is Truman had either partially or entirely different reasons for bombing Japan. They believe that the destruction of two Japanese cities would accomplish several things. Most obviously, it would punish the Japanese for the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the atrocious treatment of American prisoners of war.

Truman wanted to give the U.S. and edge in the coming Cold War by showing that he was not afraid to use these weapons of mass destruction.

On the other hand Truman should have chosen one of the several available ways to compel a Japanese surrender without an atomic bombing of two cities.

The most obvious alternative is an American invasion of Japan, but this alternative was seen as worse for Truman’s eyes because he believed that by invasion many soldiers and even innocents would die and he must avoid that, especially avoid USA soldiers to die.

Japanese philosophy of dying for their country and protecting it would end with many lives among Japanese after an American invasion. It is known that children were going to be sacrificed as "Sherman carpets." Japanese children were to be strapped with TNT and throw themselves under American tanks, thereby dying in the most honorable way possible, by killing the enemy.

Also many Japanese would prefer to die that to be captured by Americans or to see their country taken by Americans is the case of Saipan, where nearly 900 Japanese killed themselves rather than be taken prisoner by Americans. Such was the Japanese philosophy to fight to the last man. If an entire nation was compelled to launch suicide attacks against the occupying army, it is conceivable that many, many millions of Japanese civilians would die.

There are no acceptable excuses for the bombing in Japan, but USA was not the biggest enemy in the entire war, reason why it can’t be seen as the bad guy of the movie, especially when Japan first attacked by surprise Pearl Harbor.

Truly USA uses as excuse of throwing the bomb the willing of ending the war with Japan, it was to prove its superiority and power over fascism and communism. Japanese were willing to surrender and even thought its true and invasion may cause the death of many people that was not the main reason for USA to throw the bomb, that was mainly the excuse given to Americans to accept the disaster provoked.

USA appeared in the Second World War as a monster that was awaked by Japan, a monster that needed to prove its power and revenge.