Should we have dropped The Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
Without a doubt, no. This act was completely unjustified and a mindless slaughter of innocent civilians. If the two bombs had been dropped on a military target rather than a civilian target I would without a doubt supported it, but not in this case.
When Japan first attacked the United States it was in Pearl harbor, a military target, Japan did not once attack American civilians, yet we Americans found it within ourselves to obliterate an entire city of Japanese civilians! Three days later we found it within ourselves to obliterate another city full of Japanese civilians. It is estimated that 270,000 people died from the dropping of both bombs, 270,000 civilians. Our excuse?
We needed to end the war, an unconditional surrender from Japan. Admiral William Leahy, who was the Chief of staff to both presidents Roosevelt and Truman wrote By the beginning of September 1944, Japan was almost completely defeated through a practically complete sea and air blockade. Japan could not have continued the war much long, because there are few natural resources on the island of Japan, they have to import many goods just to survive, Japan would have literally run out of things to fight with.
The Potsdam Proclamation, broadcast in Japanese on July 6 1945, demanded the unconditional surrender of Japan. Japan would have surrendered if not for one of the demands that all authority and influence of those who have deceived and misled the people of Japan into embarking on world conquest. Japan view their emperor as a god, the very heart of Japanese culture, this demand made them unsure of what would happen to their emperor.
This is why they rejected it, if America had left the emperor untouched Japan probablly would have surrendered without the need of the atomic bomb. The Soviet Union was soon going to enter the war against Japan, wich move the odds even farther in favor of the allies, the end would have came very soon. Again to the fact that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not military targets. During the war Japan and America had fought many times, but not in civilian areas, military areas.
If the bomb absolutly had to be dropped it should have been on a military target, or we could have avoided bloodshed altogether by demonstrating the bomb to the Japanese people, not killing them. Just showing to the Japanese leaders what the bomb can do, and telling them if they do not surrender we will use it on them would have been enough, I believe without a doubt they would have surrendered from a simple demonstration. .
