U.S. History Collection
You Decide: Should Truman Have Used Atomic Weapons?

The Effects of Atomic Weapons

Atomic vs. Conventional Weapons

The Japanese residents who survived the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had been living their lives one minute and then, in an instant, found themselves amidst a Moonlike landscape reduced to fire and ashes. As is the case with descriptions of war, statistics about the vast numbers of dead and injured can be numbing, impersonal, and difficult to grasp. But one or two stories from eyewitnesses can speak for many.

“When I became conscious, I found myself crushed by lots of plaster and timbers. I managed to crawl out. My mother could not be seen, but I heard her voice. She said she could not move because her legs were caught by a big pillar. I tried to pull out the broken pillar. I pushed….as hard as I could, but it was no use. I asked passers-by to help us, but they couldn’t because they were all injured and thoroughly occupied in trying to save themselves. When the fire came close to us, my mother said, ‘Don’t care about me. Hurry up. Run Away!’ Terribly broken-hearted, I said, ‘I’m sorry mum’.”

— Shoji Sawada, who later became a physics professor at a Japanese university, recalls what it was like for him, a thirteen-year-old boy who was awakened by the explosion of the atomic bomb in the sky above Hiroshima.

Hiroshima after the atomic bomb.

A black and white photograph shows Hiroshima reduced to rubble after the atomic bombing. A few tree trunks with stubs that used to be branches are still standing. Two damaged buildings are still standing in the distance with a mountain range farther in the distance.

"The patient's skin is burned in a pattern corresponding to the dark portions of a kimono worn at the time of the explosion."

A black and white photograph shows portions of the back and right arm of a woman with burn marks that look like her clothing's checkered pattern.
“I witnessed the shockwave from the explosion crush a pregnant woman against a wall and tear apart her abdomen. I could see her and her unborn baby dying. The blast instantly knocked down many homes and buildings as well. Mothers and children were trapped beneath the burning wreckage. They called out each other’s names, and the mothers would cry out, pleading for someone to save their children. No one was able to help them, and they all burned alive. The people who came to rescue the immediate survivors or clear away the rotting dead bodies contracted radiation sickness. They died later, one after the other. . . . ”

—Senji Yamaguchi, a 14-year-old boy working for the Mitsubishi Arms Manufacturing Works just 10 blocks from ground zero in Nagasaki

Take Notes

Based on the information presented on atomic versus conventional weapons, do you believe that President Truman was correct in his decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? List two to three pieces of evidence to support your position.

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