Henry Truman and the Atomic Bomb

624: Research Paper 02: Henry Truman and the Atomic Bomb
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Introduction
After the constitution was adopted it clearly separated the roles between the President and Congress commander in Chief. The U.S President has the powers to make treaties, nominate foreign policy makers and receive representatives from government. On the other hand, Congress can declare war and support armies when the need arises. The Cold War impacted on foreign policies changes with growth in presidential powers, but the president’s decisions are not necessarily absolute the executive branch is better placed to make major decisions on foreign policy making since they can act decisively given that they have experts of foreign policy and act with secrecy. As challenge of the Cold War was emerging, and Congress was more willing to allow the President initiate military actions.
Thesis Statement: Henry S. Truman’s decision to bomb Japan
Choice of A-bombs
Even though, the development of the atomic bomb started prior to Truman’s presidency he had the option of either using it or not. Young-Gun Ko, and Jin-Young Kim points out that Truman in his memoirs stated that, ‘the final decision of where and when to sue the atomic bomb was up to me.” Given the need to end hostilities with Japan the use of the atomic bomb was attractive ton Truman since the unconditional surrender would not result in retaliation. In any case, it was likely to cement the U.S position as a superpower. Despite the likely benefits that would accrue to the US for dropping the A-bomb, there was no certainty on whether President Truman would choose this option.
A reasonable and just decision
Victory is the ultimate objective for the opposing camps and the Allies wanted the Japanese to surrender unconditionally. However, even after Japanese losses started to mount the Japanese leadership still supported hostilities and war efforts. President Truman considered ground invasion to ensure there was an unconditional surrender since bombing was unlikely to achieve this objective, but there was also concern about estimates on troop losses. Hence, ending the war the soonest possible was attractive and since the Japanese had refused all ultimatums bombing would force them to surrender. Hiroshima was an important port with the army headquarters and there were war plants in Nagasaki, and the noncombatants were simply collateral damage. There was no intention for direct attacks on civilians, and hence this satisfies the ‘discrimination’ condition of Just War Theory.
Constitutional considerations
Since the President oversees military activities as the Commander in Chief, the decision to bomb Japan was not undertaken unilaterally, and was well within his constitutional powers. Truman had already been briefed about the destructive capabilities on the atomic bomb, while relying on the recommendations, and advice from civilian advisers and the military. America had suffered casualties while fighting against the Japanese prior to the bombing, and clearly it was a climate of war. Consequently, Truman’s decision to identify targets and set military times was based on formal constitutional power as the Commander in Chief. A ground invasion of Japan was likely to meet resilience from the public and Congress given that the number of causalities would likely have increased substantially.
Even though, Congress has the power to declare war, there have been instances where there has been active involvement in war without the Congress’s approval in Korea, Vietnam, Gulf war, Afghanistan and Iraq. Truman had first-hand information about the atomic bomb only after he became president and since Presidents are obligated to defend the country there was no explicit constitutional provision barring him from attacking Japan. Truman did not extend his powers more than was permitted in light of the circumstances. As such, there was no need for congressional authority, but he also announced the existence of the bomb the same day of bombing Japan. Truman also suggested that Congress would form a commission to oversee the operation of atomic power in the US.
Philosophical considerations
Prior to Japan bombing, the Japanese had suffered numerous losses and it is likely that both military and diplomatic concerns influenced Truman’s decision making. Gar Alperovitz pointed out that by using the atomic bomb, the U.S was able to end the war while limiting the intervention of the Soviet Union. Not only was the war won with no more loss of American casualties, but the Soviet Union also had no reason to get involved in the war. Alperovitz further argued then that the atomic bomb was more of diplomacy rather than a military tool. Nonetheless, critics assert that the military aspect was the primary reason for the bombing with diplomacy a secondary reason.
There were also moral and ethical considerations that Truman took into account in the decision–making process. Even though, Truman was concerned with protecting Americans he was worried that the bombing would result in numerous deaths of women and children. This was particularly after the bombing had occurred, but these concerns did not fundamentally affect his decisions to authorize the bombings. There was also no moral stigma attached to using nuclear technology and weapons as people were not well informed of its capability. The moral implications of using such a destructive weapon did not garner much interest for Truman and his advisors who did not consider the wider implications to the civilian populations.
Initially, Truman did not mention the influence of the Soviet Union on his decisions, but personal notes and letters indicate that Truman may have hastened Japanese bombing because of the Soviets. Truman was at first hesitant to use the bomb and military requirements may not have been the primary reason for bombing Japan. The Japanese hoped that the Soviet Union would facilitate a negotiated peace, but the rush to bomb Japan initiated the cold diplomacy with the Soviets. On one hand, Truman desired to have the Soviet Union enter the war, but he also sought to contain her expansion in Asia since this was in the U.S national interests.
Qualitative considerations
The decision on drop the A-bomb was justified given the circumstances where there was a need to end the war and limit further attacks on US interests. Given the attacks on Pearl Harbor took the US by surprise there was a likelihood that war would escalate. In times of crisis management, the President has an informal power to make major decisions on foreign policy with no need for Congressional approval. Such were the circumstances when Truman decided to bomb Japan it was as though Congress had deferred the decision to declare war to the President. Having been informed by the Interim Committee of the need to drop the bomb the soonest possible, there was pressure for Truman to make a decisive decision. Scientists in the Interim Committee supporting the use of the weapon prevailed against opponents, by arguing that the bomb was necessary to save the lives of American troops and also frightening Japan to submission.
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