WHY DID WE DROP AN ATOMIC BOMB IN 1945 ON Japan?

Question

I am just curious? I have been at a loss as to why other countries intentionally harm innnocent civlians (world trade center, beheadings seen on internet) yet don't understand why we, the US, intentionally harmed thousands of innocents? Please help

IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY ARGUMENT THAT WE ARE "CIVILIZED" AND WOULD NEVER INTENTIONALLY HARM INNOCENTS, BUT WAS INFORMED TODAY ABOUT THE COLD WAR WHICH I HAD NOT HEARD OR UNDERSTOOD ABOUT

Answer 1

29 million people died in WWII. It was a serious life or death struggle for the United States as will as many other Nations. The War between Japan and the United States was particularly vicious, brutal and deadly. The United States lost about a 150 full size submarines during the war. (that is just an example of the viciousness of the war) It was a Worldwide struggle.
So, when the Japanese were obviously losing or had lost the war but would not quit, the then President Truman decided to drop the first Atomic Bomb on Japan to wake them up to the potenial of destruction America could bring to the battle.

Japan hesitated to surrender and the second bomb was dropped on a major city. That ended the war in the Pacific. (note that America was also fighting Germany at the time in the other theater of the war in Europe) That was also a do or die situation.

Their has been much said about America dropping the big bombs on Japan. And frankly, I believe America has been filled with fear and insecurity since those bombs exploded into gaint mushroom clouds back in 1945.
But, in my mind it was the second bomb, that went to far. We did not warn Japan of other explosion to come, or even talk to them in length to put down their arms and surrender. We just let a few days pass and dropped another Atomic bomb on a city of hundred of thousands of innocent people, mothers and children who had nothing to do with the war.
There is also questions why we did not just seal off Japan and let her leaders time to think. We should have done that instead of quickly dropping the second bomb in my opionion.
But agian, that was a most brutal war and the worst and the best came out America during that time. I am proud of my fathers generation for the selfless job they had to do. We were afterall viciously attacked in surprize by the Japanese Navy at Pearl Habor in Hunalulu Hawaii on Dec. 7th 1941. Look it up!

Answer 2

Why America Attacked Japan In 1945

Answer 3

What the makers of the bomb recommended to President Truman:

We began making this bomb because we feared Hitler. Now Hitler is defeated. You want to use this terrible bomb against Japan. We believe this is wrong. America should not be the first to drop this atomic bomd. The saving of American lives by dropping the bomb would not make up for the horror and disgust against America for using it.
We recommend that one atomic bomb be dropped on an island where no one lives. This would give Japan a chance to see the power of the bomb and surrender before it kills thousands.

What other people told President Truman:

We must warn you,Mr President, that we expect enormous casualties........We therefore recommend that you use the new atomic bombs. This will force Japan to surrender. The thousands killed by the atomic bombs would be few compared with the millions who will die otherwise. To use these boms would shorten the war and save lives.


So.....The President was pressured,I guess.....Even when the first atomic bomb was dropped,the Japanese STILL did not surrender.....go figure.....

Answer 4

Whoa, who's this 'We,' my southern friend? lol
The US A-bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki for 3 reasons:
1. to end the war
2. to scare anyone else away from starting a new war with the US
3. sounds terrible, but the rest of the world thinks Truman did it because he COULD. Not like the States didn't have the best trained military in the world at the time, and could have found a far less devastating way to end the fighting.
I should add, the US had not entered into the war on either side until Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan - until then they had stayed pretty neutral allowing everyone else to duke it out for awhile, in a very uncharacteristic show of reluctance to flex the US military muscle.

Answer 5

The two atomic bombs dropped on Japan were the only way to stop the war in the Pacific, not only that but the original idea was to drop several atomic bombs this plan however was stopped when the whole world saw the devastation that just two of these weapons could do. As for whether it was right or wrong we will never know, it did stop thousands of other people from dying if the war had continued.

Answer 6

The only other alternative to stop Japan's aggression was to invade Japan and have a land war. The numbers of US soldiers and Japanese soldiers and civilians lost would have been unimaginable because the destruction would have been spread over the whole country, not just two cities. The US was not prepared to sacrifice that many US lives and Japanese civilian lives. They gave warning to Japan and Japan would not surrender. The US had little choice, but to drop the bomb.

Answer 7

Politics! Allied Forces want to show the enemies who's the boss!

Actually, there are a lot of points to consider - all of which are negative (wars are negative in a sense):

1st, Japan is the last one standing - Italy surrendered, so was Germany. Japan was still very far from surrendering, although their forces are slowly falling apart - and they have no more allies to back them up, Japan still held there feet together (refer to their culture).

2nd, the Bomb was the new thing - they want to test it out, and what could be the best idea than in the world war?

It's all about power - which I think kept us safe for a while now...

Answer 8

well, since japan was allied with the nazis, the nazis, which hitler controlled , told japan to drop bombs on pearl harbor, since america was with the allies and was helping the other countries to have freedom from nazi control. The americans dropped an atomic bomb on japan because (i think)
1. Japan was with the nazis and killing jews like hitler does.
2. For some revenge
3. America was afraid japan would drop more bombs on them, and, that the nazis would get even more powerful and start taking more countries.
4. To stop the war.
Now I may be rite or wrong, but, this is what I think happened.

Answer 9

The bonb was dropped to end the war. At the time the Japanese belived that the emporer was a living god. The entire population, women and childre, were willing to die fighting. Instead of sending an army to invade the country the bomb was dropped in hopes that Japan would surrender. The bomb saved more live than it actually killed.

Answer 10

Well, I can see that you've already been indoctrinated by America-hating liberals who should be arrested and deported.

The atomic bomb was dropped upon a savage enemy that represeneted evil and it was to end the war once and for all. The civilian casualties couldn't be helped, and that's it. You have the same mentality as the people who falsely accuse Israel of "harming thousands of innocents." The blame really is upon Hezbollah, just as the blame for the deaths in Japan rests upon Imperial Japan of that era, not the United States.

I hope that somehow you're able to understand, although I sincerely doubt it.