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Enola Gay

Introduction to source 1 and 2

Source 1 and 2 are about the use of the atomic bomb against the two Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On August 6, 1945 the United States throw an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 9. The Japanese Government have applied on Aug. 15. This is World War II ended

Source 1


Henry L. Stimson during the Second World War Minister of the United States. In 1947 he wrote an article "The decision to use the atomic bomb." In it he says

In July (1945) we had the idea that the possibility was high that the Japanese government would decide himself to the utmost to be done in all their territories in the Far East. In that case, the Allies stand for the enormous task of destroying an army of five million five thousand soldiers and suicide pilots who belonged to a people that had already amply shown to be able to fight themselves to death. My main goal was to win the war with minimum loss of life in the army that I had helped bring the leg. By a weapon with such capabilities could be achieved these goals.

Source 2

In July 1945, three physicists, who were involved in developing the atomic bomb, a meeting with James F. Byrnes, advisor to U.S. President Truman. Leo Szilard, one of the three scholars, wrote in 1949 about this review

The question came up whether or not the bomb in the war against Japan should be used. Byrnes is not claimed that it was necessary to bomb against Japanese cities to use to win the war. He knew at that time, like the rest of the government knew that Japan was essentially defeated and that the war in the next six months could win. At that time, Byrnes was very worried about the expansion of Russian influence in Europe.

Really, I could barely UNJUSTIFIED and a disastrous political basis for our proposals, and I was appalled when I heard a few weeks later that he was our Foreign Minister would be.

Questions

Use source 1 and 2

In these sources are various arguments for the use of the atomic bomb.

1. Give an argument for each source using the atomic bomb
2. Give an explanation for the difference in argument

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Copyright:  Albert van der Kaap, 2011