Debate
9,700
pounds
Weight of “Little Boy,”
the first of two
nuclear bombs used
on Japan
Atomic Heritage
Foundation
A Little Boy bomb like the one dropped
on Hiroshima, on display at the National
Museum of the U.S. Air Force, in Dayton, Ohio
Should the U.S. Have
Dropped the Atom Bomb?
Seventy years ago, the U.S. became the first and only nation to use a nuclear weapon in war
A
t least nine countries now have nuclear weapons, but the United States remains the only country that actually
used an atomic bomb against an enemy. On Aug. 6, 1945, the U.S. dropped an atom bomb on the Japanese city
of Hiroshima; three days later, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Six days later, on August 15, Japan
announced it would surrender, effectively ending World War II. But the decision to use this devastating weapon
remains controversial. (For more on the development and impact of the atomic bomb, see Times Past, p. 18.)
þ
Analyze the arguments, cast your vote, and see instant results at www.upfrontmagazine.com
22 U p f r o n t • u p f r o n t m a g a z i n e . c o m
U.S. Air Force photo
YES
died fighting the Japanese in the Pacific, and an invasion
Dropping the atomic bomb was
was certain to be very costly in American lives. And for
necessary to end the war with Japan
Truman, any number of American lives that could be saved
at the earliest possible moment. By
by using the bomb would be well worth it.
the early summer of 1945, Japanese leaders knew they
When the atomic bomb became available in July 1945,
couldn’t win. But they fought on in hopes of securing
it was the most promising way to end
better surrender terms.
war as soon as possible and without
President Harry S. Truman recognized
An invasion of the
the drawbacks of the other options.
that he had several options to convince
Japan could have
The attacks on Hiroshima and
Japan to end the war: 1) intensifying the
Nagasaki
persuaded Emperor Hirohito,
already-heavy bombing of Japanese
cost thousands of
who had wavered for weeks, that the
cities; 2) waiting for the Soviet Union,
American lives. war must end immediately. Combined
an ally in defeating Germany, to join the
with the Soviet Union’s entry into the
war against Japan; 3) telling Japan that
conflict after Hiroshima, the atom bombs brought about
the U.S. would allow Emperor Hirohito to remain on
Japan’s surrender within a few days.
his throne after the war; and 4) invading Japan with
The bomb was necessary to accomplish Truman’s
ground troops.
primary objectives of forcing a prompt Japanese
But there was no guarantee that any of these options,
surrender and saving American lives, perhaps many
or a combination of them, would force the Japanese to
thousands of them. •
surrender quickly, and each one posed serious military,
political, and diplomatic risks. Invading Japan may have
—J. Samuel Walker
been the least uncertain militarily, but it carried the
Author, Prompt and Utter Destruction: Truman and
highest price: More than 100,000 Americans had already
the Use of Atomic Bombs Against Japan
by the NumberS
150,000246,000
Estimated number of people
killed in Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, including
those killed instantly and
those who died of radiation
sickness soon after
111,606
Number of U.S. troops killed
or missing in the Pacific
theater of World War II
137,582
Number of people killed in
the 65 conventional bombing
raids on Tokyo between
Dec. 1944 and Aug. 1945
The Enola Gay, which
dropped the bomb on Hiroshima,
and its pilot, Colonel Paul Tibbets
Sources: radiation effects research
foundation; Asia Pacific Journal: Japan Focus;
Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
Bettmann/CORBIS
NO
U.S. could have waited to see if Japan would surrender
When General Dwight D. Eisenhower, then the
before dropping the atomic bombs. Instead, Hiroshima was
Supreme Allied Commander, was informed by
bombed on August 6, and Nagasaki on August 9.
the U.S. Secretary of War that the atomic bomb
Hiroshima was of only marginal value as a military
was going to be used, he later recalled saying it was unnecessary because Japan was already largely defeated. Eisenhower target, which is why it hadn’t already been a target of
conventional bombings, and it was full
said the bomb was “no longer mandaof women, children, and old people,
tory as a measure to save American
‘It wasn’t necessary
since most of the men had left to fight
lives.” After the war, as president of the
to hit them with
in the war.
United States (1953-61), he even stated
Many top World War II military
publicly: “It wasn’t necessary to hit them
that awful thing.’
leaders are on record agreeing
with that awful thing.”
—Dwight D. Eisenhower
with Eisenhower that using the
Before the bomb was used, American
atomic bomb was unnecessary.
intelligence officials believed the war
Some felt it was deeply immoral. Even Admiral William
would likely end when two things happened: When
Leahy, President Truman’s chief of staff, later called
the U.S. let Japan know the emperor could remain as a
the bomb a “barbarous weapon” that should not have
figurehead, and when the Soviet army attacked. The U.S.
been used. Leahy wrote, “The Japanese were already
did tell Japan the emperor could remain on his throne as
part of a surrender, and the Soviets declared war, as agreed, defeated and ready to surrender. . . . In being the first
to use it, we . . . adopted an ethical standard common
on August 8.
to the barbarians of the Dark Ages.” •
But American officials chose not to test whether this
intelligence was correct. For logistical reasons, an invasion
—gar AlperOvitz
of Japan couldn’t begin for another three months, so the
Author, The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb
march 16, 2015 23
Name Class Analyze Authors’ Claims
Author: J. Samuel Walker
Author: Gar Alperovitz
Author, Prompt and Utter Destruction
Author, The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb
Author’s main claim or argument in the debate:
Author’s main claim or argument in the debate:
Reason 1: Name one reason the author gives for his claim.
Reason 1: Name one reason the author gives for his claim.
List any evidence the author gives to support Reason 1.
List any evidence the author gives to support Reason 1.
Reason 2: Name another reason the author presents.
Reason 2: Name another reason the author presents.
List evidence the author gives to support Reason 2.
List evidence the author gives to support Reason 2.
Reason 3: Name a third reason the author presents.
Reason 3: Name a third reason the author presents.
List evidence the author gives to support Reason 3.
List evidence the author gives to support Reason 3.
What persuasive devices does the author use?
What persuasive devices does the author use?
___ Appeals to emotions
___ Appeals to emotions
___ Uses data or scholarly research
___ Uses data or scholarly research
___ Tells why the other side’s argument is weak
___ Tells why the other side’s argument is weak
___ Other: ___ Other: Evaluate: Which author do you think makes his case more effectively? Do you spot any weaknesses—like a bias or missing
information—in either argument? Explain on a separate sheet of paper.
U p f r o n t • www. u p f r o n t m aga z i n e . c o m
m ar c h 1 6 , 2 0 1 5
Uses: copy machine, opaque projector, or transparency master for overhead projector. Scholastic Inc. grants teacher-subscribers to The New York Times Upfront permission to reproduce this Skills Sheet for use in their classrooms. ©2015 by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.
Read “Should the U.S. Have Dropped the Atom Bomb?” on p. 22, then follow the directions below
to analyze each author’s claims.