Was the U.S. justified in dropping the atomic bomb in Japan?

Answer 1

One argument is that the cost of a land invasion to US troops would have been extremely high. I forgot the stat but an estimate million or millions dead, I believe this is both sides
(sorry long time since I had history)

Another part of the argument was that since the Japanese civilians on the route to Japan would act as soldiers or commit suicide as seen in other islands during the pacific campaign that bombs were the only way to break the Japan's leaders spirit to fight.

If you believe that avoiding an invasion that would have resulted more causalities than the bombs caused then it is a justifiable decision during a time in which civilian causalities were not considered the monstrosity they are today.

However if you believe the ends don't justify the means then the above argument would not justified, but that doesn't apply well to war-time scenarios.

Answer 2

My dad was on the USS Raleigh in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese bombed it in 1941. And he was in the Naval contingent prepared to invade Japan in July-August, 1945. By that time, the boys-turned-men were terrified, exhausted, and fatalistic.

His shipmates believed that an invasion would be a hand-to-hand slaughter that would not end as long as someone could hold a weapon. No matter which side. He was fully prepared to die.

As long as he lived, he supported Truman's decision. He knew the horrors of the bomb but believed that greater horrors would have been committed had the war continued.

Answer 3

Harry Truman did the right thing. If we had went in and invaded Japan with sea and ground forces it was estimated that we could have at least 50 to 60,000 american war deaths before we would win on their soil. By dropping the bomb, we were able to end the war in two weeks and saved all those American lives. Sure , we killed 100,000 Japanese but that was and still is the spoils of war. If you don't kill us first, we are going to kill you. And don't forget that on Dec the 7th 1941, Japan made an unprovoked attack on sleepy Pearl Harbor. Domategato.

Answer 4

In hindsight, The US was more than justified in dropping the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Information revealed recently has proven than Japan was just days and hours away from completing it's own WMD, and had contingency plans of dropping this device on the west coast. I believe their planned target was San Francisco.

This information was shown on the history channel, last year. It was from information released from the archives that were considered classified documents, until then!

Answer 5

Total war under the Geneva Convention then in effect in 1945 meant indiscriminate bombing of civilians, cultural centers, cities and all means of production to break the will of the enemy. The uproar over the firebombing of Dresden and nuclear detonations over Hiroshima/Nagasaki lead to the 1949 prohibition against the indiscriminate bombing of civilians....

Answer 6

i think of it became into justified-it saved lives on the two components. regardless of if we assume that Japan might have renounce in some weeks in spite of everything, then it saved the lives of hundreds of POWs, civilian internees, and chinese language civilians. might desire to Truman relatively in stable experience of right and incorrect think of, "Sorry all you POWs, internees and persons residing under jap rule in Asia, this A-bomb is in basic terms too nasty so which you will could shop death till the jap finally be sure to provide up on their very own". it relatively is not in basic terms individuals and jap who might have died in an invasion of Japan. The Canadian infantrymen who had already fought their way for the duration of Europe and have been in the conflict on account that 1939, have been reassembling in Canada to deliver out to the Pacific in the process the summer time of 1945. the U. S. army transferred approximately 60 ships to the Soviet Union in 1945 in training for the invasion of Japan. you may nicely be sure the Canadian infantrymen and Russian sailors have been very pleased whilst the bomb became into dropped.

Answer 7

Absolutely yes. BTW we were also planning on nuking Germany if they hadn't surrendered when they did. Both Japan and Germany were close to completing their Atomic bombs, better that we ended the war the way we did.

Answer 8

Yes.

Simply because this was the course of action to end the war that would have killed the fewest number of people.

Japan surrendered just in time for a massive American food aid effort that prevented ~10 million people from starving.

Answer 9

well, it ended world war II and stopped the japanese from taking over the entire world because that was their goal. You might even be speaking japanese right now if we had not dropped the two atomic bombs.

Answer 10

Yes. Japan had no intention of surrender. Their mindset was that they were following a human God and were incapable of being defeated. The bomb was a giant wake-up call.