Truman s Impact On The United States - 958 Words

Section name: Post Development Paragraph 4: Truman on How to Use the Bomb President Harry S. Truman was sworn into office towards the end of the Manhattan Project’s development cycle, leaving him with the decision of how to use the newfound technology to best benefit the United States. In the spring of 1945, the Manhattan Project was on the brink of success and being considered as an important element in possible American strategies to end the war in the Pacific . Not only were wartime possibilities being considered, but also post-war. The death of President Roosevelt occurred on April 12, 1945 and Germany’s unconditional surrendered on May 7th of the same year . Vice-president Harry S. Truman was thus brought into office and made aware†¦show more content†¦The plan to drop an atomic bomb on Japan caused mass speculation over the Japanese shooting down the plane carry the bomb as well as placing American prisoners in the blast radius . It was therefore decided that the weapon must be used in secret without any prior warning to Japan for it to prove most effective and sway them to surrender. With the decision to utilize the Manhattan Project’s research on the Japanese to bring about an end to the Pacific War, the United States was tasked with developing a military strategy to capitalize on the weapon’s destructive capabilities. Paragraph 5: Military Strategy With the development of a nuclear weapon near completion, the United States commenced to formulate their military strategy to bring upon an end to the Pacific War. A committee was therefore established by the United States to chart the best possible targets for which to unleash the nuclear weapons on Japan . The committee listed Kokura Arsenal, Hiroshima, Niigata, and Kyoto as the best candidates . Their belief was that the elimination of these major Japanese cities would have the maximum psychological impression on the Japanese, therefore weakening them militarily, leading to their surrender. Kyoto was promptly scrapped from the list due to it being the most cherished cultural center in Japan