The choice made by Harry Truman to drop the atomic bomb over Hiroshima, on August 6th, 1945, is one of the most controversial decisions in American history. Although many Japanese soldiers and civilians died because of the decision to drop the bomb, many American soldiers were saved because of it. Many people who argue against the bombings talk about how much destruction was caused by the bomb. However it is important to look at the reason why Truman decided to drop the bomb. His decision to drop the bomb wasn't to gain victory over Japan or to only save American lives, but rather to intimidate the Soviet Union and demonstrate the power of the United States.
             America didn't need to drop the bomb in order to win the war over Japan. The decision to use the bomb was made by President Truman. There was never any doubt of that and despite a lot of criticism; Mr. Truman took full responsibility for his action. From the beginning of the war, the United States didn't even plan to drop the bomb. They were planning an intensified sea and air blockade and strategic air bombing. After a while, Japan was in really bad shape. Most Americans believed that they didn't even need the bomb to defeat the Japanese. Nuclear Physicist Leo Szilard said, "I knew at the time, as the rest of the government knew, that Japan was essentially defeated and that we could win the war in another six months." (Print Document 6). This shows that the use for the bomb must have been for another reason than to just wipe out the Japanese people. To use such a powerful bomb even when you know that you have won the war shows a desire to gain more power. The devastating effects of both kinds of bombs depended essentially upon the energy released at the moment of the explosion, causing immediate fires, destructive blast pressures, and extreme local radiation exposures. The radiation exposures later on gave many people cancer. The bomb was so powerful that it is estimated that ...