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On September 30, 1938, the League of Nations passed a unanimous resolution for the “Protection of Civilian Populations Against Bombing from the Air in Case of War.” In that resolution, the League noted that “the Intentional bombing of civilian populations is illegal,” and that “any attack on legitimate military objectives must be carried out in such a way that civilian populations in the neighborhood are not bombed through negligence.”[1]
The Manhattan Project began modestly in 1939 with a budget of $167,000 to explore the feasibility of a nuclear chain reaction. By October 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt officially approved the atomic program, and established a committee to oversee it. On July 16, 1945, the US tested its first nuclear explosion. Less than a month later, on August 6, 1945 the US dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, and three days later, a second bomb on Nagasaki.
On June 27, 1945, the Undersecretary of the Navy, Ralph A. Bard sent a memo to Secretary of War Henry Stimson. “Ever since I have been in touch with this program I have had a feeling that before the bomb is actually used against Japan that Japan should have some preliminary warning for say two or three days in advance of use. The position of the United States as a great humanitarian nation and the fair play attitude of our people generally is responsible in the main for this feeling.
During recent weeks I have also had the feeling very definitely that the Japanese government may be searching for some opportunity which they could use as a medium of surrender.”[2]
In his combat memoir With the Old Breed, Eugene Sledge would write that “We received the news with quiet disbelief coupled with an indescribable sense of relief. We thought the Japanese would never surrender. Many refused to believe it. Sitting around in stunned silence, we remembered our dead. So many dead. So many maimed. So many bright futures consigned to the ashes of the past. So many dreams lost in the madness that had engulfed us.”[3]
Clearly, some sought a different solution from the bomb, while others, and especially those who had fought in the Pacific, found great relief that they would not have to endure another minute of combat. Justification for dropping the bomb, and opposition to it came from many quarters. For this debate, you are not limited to the months prior to August 6, 1945. The argument concerning theh use of nuclear power raged on for years to come.
ASSIGNMENT:
Assume the historical role of someone who lived in the United States at this point in history (circa 1945) and the use of the bomb. Be creative.
Explanation & Answer
Attached.
Running head: AGAINST THE USE OF BOMBS
Against The Use of Bombs
Student Name
Institution
Course
Date
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AGAINST THE USE OF BOMBS
2
Against The Use of Bombs
Use of bombs implied attempts to employ the threat of nuclear warfare in order to attain desired
diplomatic objectives. After very first fruitful test of the atomic bomb in 1945, officials of United
States of America deliberated possible no-military benefits which could be easily derived from
American nuclear monopoly (Settle, 2016). However, in subsequent years there were several
situations where government officials considered the use of atomic diplomacy. Below are some
of the reasons against the use of bombs.
First, the use of bombs was completely inhumane. Hundreds of thousands of citizens who had no
democratic rights to face their martial government, for instance, women and helpless children
were horrifically burnt, vaporized, buried in rubble and speared by flying debris. Whole families
and neighborhoods were mercilessly wiped away. The lucky survivors were attacked with
radiation sickness, crippling mutilations as well as starvation. This resulted in psychological and
emotional damage.
Additionally, the use of bomb was racially inspired. Rivals of President Truman's verdict to use
the bomb reason out ha racism played a key role in the resolution to use the weapon. They said
that if Germany were readily prepared in time, the bomb would not have been used against
Germany. Racism in America resulted in failure in differentiating between the Japanese
government that had been controlled by militarists and the civilian of Japan who had been
trapped up in the war of the government. Racists regarded all Japanese as potential dangers
mainly not because of political education but just because of the Japanese genetics (Prasad,
2012).
AGAINST THE USE OF BOMBS
3
Consequently, it became apparent that President Truman was not prepared for presidential
responsibility. Another criticism which was directed at President Truman is that he was not ready
to take up the responsibility as a...
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