Perspectives
Refugees (www.asianews.it)
There have been numerous perspectives regarding the Manhattan Project and dropping the bombs on Japan. Prior to the bombing, “Leo Szilard, the man who had helped convince President Roosevelt to begin the Manhattan Project, was one of them. He wrote to President Truman and urged him not to use the bomb. Sixty-seven other scientists signed the letter. The letter, however, was intercepted by security officials and never delivered.”(Gonzales 73) Some believed using the bombs were immoral and the killing of civilians unjustifiable. “The blast was devastating, terrorizing the people of the city. Nearly everyone near where the bomb struck died. So did many more – somewhere between 70,000 and 80,000 were killed in all. Three days later, the United States struck again. This bomb killed another 35,000 to 40,000 people. In both cities, the deaths continued for many months. Thousands more died by the end of 1945. Even more died in the next five years, sickened by radiation or succumbing to their burns. One estimate said that more than half the population of both cities died within five years.”(Anderson pgs. 40 -41)
President Truman never expressed regret over using the bombs, “You must always remember that people forget, as you said in your column, that the bombing of Pearl Harbor was done while we were at peace with Japan and trying our best to negotiate a treaty with them. All you have to do is to go out and stand on the keel of the Battleship in Pearl Harbor with the 3,000 youngsters underneath it who had no chance whatever of saving their lives. That is true of two or three other battleships that were sunk in Pearl Harbor. Altogether, there were between 3,000 and 6,000 youngsters killed at that time without any declaration of war. It was plain murder. I knew what I was doing when I stopped the war that would have killed a half million youngsters on both sides if those bombs had not been dropped. I have no regrets and, under the same circumstances, I would do it again - and this letter is not confidential.”(Truman August 5, 1963)
Many feel that by using atomic bombs, the United States shortened the war, saving lives. It may have served as an intimidation tactic against Russia.
Audio: Robert Carter
President Truman never expressed regret over using the bombs, “You must always remember that people forget, as you said in your column, that the bombing of Pearl Harbor was done while we were at peace with Japan and trying our best to negotiate a treaty with them. All you have to do is to go out and stand on the keel of the Battleship in Pearl Harbor with the 3,000 youngsters underneath it who had no chance whatever of saving their lives. That is true of two or three other battleships that were sunk in Pearl Harbor. Altogether, there were between 3,000 and 6,000 youngsters killed at that time without any declaration of war. It was plain murder. I knew what I was doing when I stopped the war that would have killed a half million youngsters on both sides if those bombs had not been dropped. I have no regrets and, under the same circumstances, I would do it again - and this letter is not confidential.”(Truman August 5, 1963)
Many feel that by using atomic bombs, the United States shortened the war, saving lives. It may have served as an intimidation tactic against Russia.
Audio: Robert Carter