The Use of the Atomic Bomb: Short Answer Questions
This assignment focuses on the ethical and strategic considerations surrounding the use of the atomic bomb during World War II. Analyze the provided sources to answer the questions.
Source 1
SOURCE A: President Truman adviser: Clark Clifford "When President Truman and I became closer, he talked often about the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan...In the end, what weighed most heavily with President Truman was the military estimate that enormous numbers of American casualties would be suffered in an assault upon the main islands of Japan..."
SOURCE B: Writer, editor, social critic, and philosopher: Dwight Macdonald "...[A]n American plane dropped a single bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima...No warning whatsoever was given. This atrocious action places 'us,' the defenders of civilization, on a moral level with 'them,' the beasts of [the Nazi concentration camp] Maidanek...THOSE WHO WIELD SUCH DESTRUCTIVE POWER ARE OUTCASTS FROM HUMANITY..."
SOURCE C: Historian: Steven Ambrose "...At Potsdam, Truman casually informed Stalin that the United States had a 'new weapon' and was pleased when the Soviet leader did not press him for details...Truman gave the order to drop the bomb as soon as one was ready..."
Group 1
Using the excerpts provided, answer the following questions about the use of the atomic bomb during World War II.
Question 1a
Briefly identify one group of people that was affected by the use of the Atomic Bomb.
Question 1b
According to Source A, what was President Truman's main goal in using the Atomic Bomb?
Question 1c
Is there any validity to the comparison of the U.S. and Nazis in Source B based on the 'innocent civilians' killed by the Atomic Bomb?
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