Harry S. Truman: Atomic Bomb

By Nadeem Alim For more information, see: Harry S. Truman

The Japanese cities have still not fully recovered from the devastation, and for the most part the world fears that if others begin to follow in Harry Truman's footsteps then much greater destruction will follow.

Background

Harry S. Truman succeeded Franklin D. Roosevelt to become the president of the United States on April 12, 1945. He was the U.S. president when the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and on Nagasaki three days later. Evidence such as Truman's diary reveals that he had not only approved the atomic bombing but also encouraged it, writing that "this weapon is to be used against Japan between now and August 10." An excerpt from the diary written on July 25, 1945 shows that Harry Truman was aware of the immense destructive potential of the atomic bomb before it was used.

"We have discovered the most terrible bomb in the history of the world. It may be the fire destruction prophesied in the Euphrates Valley Era, after Noah and his fabulous Ark." Harry S. Truman, President's Diary, July 25, 1945.

Other statements in Truman's diary are more contradictory to what really happened. For example, referring to the atomic bomb he wrote that the he had ordered to "use it so that military objectives and soldiers and sailors are the target and not women and children." In fact, he went on to write that this was a terrible bomb and hence its "target will be a purely military one." Of course, this was not the case, because Hiroshima and Nagasaki were both civilian cities and the bombs caused many civilian casualties, including women and children. Regardless, Truman stood by his decision and it was mentioned in the following press releases that dropping the bomb had ended World War 2 and saved American lives. At that time, many Americans considered Truman to be a national hero, but various humanitarian debates have spawned since the bombs were dropped, some even accusing Truman of being a war criminal.

Debates on Truman's Decision

The justifications that Harry Truman presented for using the atomic bombs are in fact the main points that are now used to argue against his decision. It seems that the reasons he gave for their use sounded patriotic and virtuous, but the reality of the matter was quite different. For example, in a public paper that the president released on the same day that Hiroshima was bombed he stated, "The Japanese began the war from the air at Pearl Harbor. The have been repaid manifold." Is it accurate to make a comparison between the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima?

Pearl Harbor was a military base. The purpose of the Japanese bombing was to destroy military aircrafts and demobilize the U.S. Air Force. The Japanese succeeded in their plan, and while there were many casualties, the majority of injuries and fatalities were of military men. In retrospect, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not military bases. For a large part, these cities consisted of homes, schools and businesses for people of various ages and genders. Despite this fact, Truman made a public statement on August 9, 1945 after the atomic bombing on Nagasaki that states, "Having found the bomb, we have used it. We have used it against those who attacked us without warning at Pearl Harbor, against those who have starved and beaten and executed American prisoners of war, against those who have abandoned all pretense of obeying international laws of warfare." Is it accurate to justify the death of civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki as acts of vengeance in response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor?

Perhaps Harry Truman's perception was that all Japanese, including civilians, should be held accountable for the lives lost at Pearl Harbor. To this extent, Truman's statements suggest that Japanese civilians including women and children were part of the same people that "have starved and beaten and executed American prisoners" and should be held responsible. On the other hand, this approach also puts Truman in the position of acknowledging that he intentionally killed women and children instead of just putting them in the category of collateral damages. Is it right to punish a Japanese child for an act of war committed by a Japanese soldier? Japanese generals were executed for war crimes of much lesser scale despite making the same arguments, so it becomes difficult to understand how Harry Truman can be heralded as a war hero instead.

Present Day

During latter years, Harry Truman tried to make rebuttal statements of condolence or further justification. For example, he explained that even though Hiroshima was not a military base it was still an industrial center and hence had military significance. This does not seem to be a valid explanation either, since the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey states, "All major factories in Hiroshima were on the periphery of the city and escaped serious damage." Other military reports were censored, perhaps to protect the sovereignty of the United States, but of course the grand scale of atomic bombings make them impossible to cover up which is why people have found many reasons to frown upon the atomic bombs that were dropped with orders from Harry Truman in 1945 after seeing the devastating consequences.

Support for Harry Truman and the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki has greatly diminished in recent years. In 1991, President George H. W. Bush claimed that the atomic bombs had "spared millions of American lives." However, this argument has become quite weak since the actual expected American casualties due to World War 2 after August of 1945 is thought to be less than the figures that were presented after the bombs were dropped. The "international laws of warfare" that Truman tried to use as justified explanations condemn his own acts today. Military technology today far exceeds the destructive potential of the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Japanese cities have still not fully recovered from the devastation, and for the most part the world fears that if others begin to follow in Harry Truman's footsteps then much greater destruction will follow.