Yours Forever faithfully
Secretary of State
The consequences for Nagasaki and Hiroshima came in physical and psychological issues. For a start, about 30% of Nagasaki, almost all the industrial district was completely erased by the bomb. Approximately 7,400 Japanese people’s lives ended in a flash and nearly that many people were injured. The blast of the atomic bomb caused electrostatic waves and radiation to emit into the atmosphere and that lasted for a minimum of 14 to 18 days in the air after the blast, no land could be fertilized due to the cause of the radiation that had been permitted in the land. The radiation poisoning caused fetus’s to die or become permanently damaged, so children were born abnormal or deformed. Babies were born for several generations with deformities due to the radiation effects. When the bomb emitted radiation, it caused severe radiation sickness in addition to the people killed and maimed. People in Japan faced symptoms like purple contusions all over the body, hair loss, nausea, vomiting, bleeding mouth, gums and throat, weakened immune system, massive internal hemorrhaging and disfiguring radiation burns. Residents of both cities are still suffering the physical and mental consequences of radiation to this day. It eradicated towns and cities thus peoples' homes, communities, families and property.
The dropping of the atomic bomb could be considered justified because, firstly, it was a way to save hundreds of thousands of lives, not only American troops, but Japanese also because of the previously planned ground invasion being prevented. If the ground invasion of Japan had gone ahead as planned, in 1946, it would not only meant another year of war, it could have been one of the biggest blood baths in history, with the Japanese and Americans willing to protect land until the last man was standing. It is highly possible that the Atomic bomb was a far less devastating amount of deaths than an allied invasion could have been. Secondly, it was quick. Economically and militaristically quick, it concluded the already long, bloody and costly conflict and returned troops home to their families to live their lives again. Thirdly, it did maximum damage to the Japanese War machines, being an excellent source of revenge from the events of pearl harbour. The dropping of the bomb could also be considered justified because it proved that America was an able country and that they should be respected in all their power and glory, perhaps warning other countries that if they go up against America then America will win and that America has complete independence and control over themselves without the support form unions such as the USSR. It could have been a possible way to enforce more pacifist ways. The Americans were already weary and tired from the already time-consuming, brutal conflict; to finish it however drastically, was a relief in itself. It was a relatively cheap option and was a perfect opportunity to test a M.A.D (mutually assured destruction) weapon. The Atomic bomb was a answer to the issue of wasting the Nations resources with a long war, when n other quicker methods could become available. An all-out U.S. invasion of Japan would have risked the victory already gained in Europe in the face of the palpable thereat of Soviet domination. Finally, it sent out a positive message to the United States that there was no need to live in fear anymore, fully satisfying public opinions.
As it was, the unconditional surrender of Japan enabled General Douglas MacArthur to engineer one of the great historic transformations of a nation from militarism to pacifism, to the relief of hundreds of millions of their neighbours, who had suffered horribly at the hands of their Japanese conquerors.
The dropping of the atomic bomb could be considered un-justified because, firstly, it caused the deaths of thousands of people, innocent children and women included. Some lost their lives in a matter of seconds, remaining only as a shadow streaked across a wall or street, others had a slow painful, torturous death, from radiation poisoning and burns. The excruciatingly painful deaths thousands of Japanese people had to endure as a consequence of the U.S.A’s actions was not very humanitarian of America. The amount of pain and symptoms the Japanese had to face was unjustified in itself. Secondly, when the U.S used the bomb, it practically gave the ‘go-ahead’ that nuclear weapons was acceptable and a viable means of warfare, and that the bombing of innocent women and children was the correct method of winning. Thirdly, Japan could surrender and then the U.S could find that a militaristic Japan was arising, perhaps armed with nuclear weapons of their own, that they would be prepared to use without hesitation. After the dropping of the atomic bomb, the entire globe was too live in fear of total annihilation and the fear resulted in the Cold War and permanently changed World Politics. The greater part of two cities were burnt to a crisp, a lot of history and building up of colonies were completely destroyed in less than 24 hours. That August morning, the 14th, heralded the Dawn of the Nuclear Age.
Conclusively, in my opinion, the dropping of the atomic bomb was too excessive for my liking. I fully understand that it was a long war, which needed to be concluded quickly, efficiently and without a huge cost, but the amount of innocent lives that were taken that day was extraordinary and the lack of compassion shown to the women and children in Japan was quite astounding. How did America consider wiping out over half a population, never mind actually doing it? Also, the second of my reasons for thinking the atomic bomb was unjustified, was that the idea was the cause for another war, the Cold War. It was also said loud and clear to the world that it is alright to kill thousands of people as long as their country is victorious to the highest degree and that nuclear weapons were fully introduced. If the United States had wanted to find another method from the Allied ground invasion and the dropping of the atomic bomb, they could have, but the need to satisfy the American public was too big and they were too anxious to get it over with.
Extension:
I think the opinions of dropping the atomic bomb would have changed over the years because it gave people time to think about their actions and feel regret and guilt at what they had done. It gave people time to recognise that the death toll was exceptionally high and people, Japanese children and women especially, died for no reason other than that supreme victory for America and the feeling the Americans got when they were successful in winning the war to the most extent matters. I think it gave people time to acknowledge the amount of pollution and radiation poisoning let out into the air, causing trouble for Japan and neighbouring countries. On a more militaristic basis, it could give Japan causes for revenge and could affect business, exporting goods or even start another war. Finally, I think the main reason is that these events could be triggers of other mass blood shed, i.e. the holocaust. If the Germans thought that it was ok for the Americans to kill thousands and thousands of Japanese, then surely it was ok for everyone else to. Also, the Atomic bomb ending the war was what drove the Cold War.
