Thread: Should the A-bomb Have Been Dropped

Question for Discussion: Did the United States
need to drop the atomic bomb on Japan
in order to end World War II?

Reading: Smithsonian editorial (web); Stimson "The
Decision to Drop the Bomb" (web); U.S. Bombing
Survey (web); Alperovitz "More on Atomic Diplomacy"
(web)

Video: The Day after Trinity

The Impact of the Atomic Bomb on Japan

• Documents Relating to the Development
  of the Atomic Bomb and Its use on
  Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• Major Effects of the Atomic Bomb
• Deaths By The Atom Bomb Compared
  To Other Deaths During World War II
• The Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki
• Remembering Nagasaki
• A-Bomb WWW Museum

The U.S. Decision to Drop the
Atomic Bomb

• World Map (1997)
• Pro and Con Arguments on Dropping
  the Atomic Bomb
• The Decision to Drop the Bomb
• The Decision to Drop the Bomb:
  Documents
• Deaths By The Atom Bomb Compared
  To Other Deaths During World War II
• American Military Leaders Urge
  Truman not to drop the Bomb
• Hiroshima: Who Disagreed with the
  Atomic Bombing
• "THE DECISION TO USE THE ATOMIC
  BOMB" GAR ALPEROVITZ AND THE
  H-NET DEBATE

The Atomic Bomb and the Nuclear
Arms Race

• Fifty Years from Trinity
• The U.S. Nuclear Weapons Cost Study
  Project
• 50 Facts About U.S. Nuclear Weapons

1. The Atomic Bombing of Japan

• Truman's Announcement on Hiroshima
• Documents Relating to the Development
  of the Atomic Bomb and Its use on
  Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• Atomic Bomb- Decision
• Major Effects of the Atomic Bomb
• Deaths By The Atom Bomb Compared
  To Other Deaths During World War II
• World War II Statistics
• The Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki
• The Costs of the Manhattan Project

2. The U.S. Decision to drop the Bombs

• World Map (1997)
• World War II Statistics
• World War II- Pacific Theater (42K)
  
  
• Pro and Con Arguments on Dropping
  the Atomic Bomb
• The Enola Gay Debate
• Historians and the Enola Gay Debate
• Deaths By The Atom Bomb Compared
  To Other Deaths During World War II
• The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb
• American Military Leaders Urge
  Truman not to drop the Bomb
• Critical Dates for Understanding
  Truman's Decision
• The real reason Truman dropped
  the Bomb

3. The Atomic Bomb and the Cold War

• The U.S. Nuclear Weapons Cost Study
  Project
• The Hidden Costs of our Nuclear Arsenal: $5.5 trillion
• Sixteen Nuclear Crises of the Cold War:
  Dates and Weapons
• Documentation and Diagrams of the Atomic Bomb
• 50 Facts About U.S. Nuclear Weapons

Link: Debating the American Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb