USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Truman did not seek to destroy Japanese culture or people; the goal was to destroy Japan’s ability to make war. So, on the morning of August 6, 1945, the American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, dropped the world’s first atom bomb over the city of Hiroshima.

Detailed explanation-2: -Truman, after consultations with his advisers, ordered atomic bombs dropped on cities devoted to war work. Two were Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japanese surrender quickly followed. In June 1945 Truman witnessed the signing of the charter of the United Nations, hopefully established to preserve peace.

Detailed explanation-3: -Truman stated that his decision to drop the bomb was purely military. A Normandy-type amphibious landing would have cost an estimated million casualties. Truman believed that the bombs saved Japanese lives as well. Prolonging the war was not an option for the President.

Detailed explanation-4: -President Harry Truman issued this statement after the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

Detailed explanation-5: -Papers of Harry S. Truman: Official File. Handwritten speech draft, December 15, 1945, detailing Truman’s feelings on his decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan.