World War II and the Atomic Bomb

Paper Summary:

This paper describes the atomic bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. The writer gives statistics in order to highlight the devastation. Also included is an eye-witnesses' testimony. The paper concludes by posing moral questions about the bombing of innocent civilians.

From the Paper:

"It was on August 6th, in the year 1945, at 8.15 AM, Japanese time, that the United States of America dropped its first ever atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, so that its usefulness to the enemy could be completely destroyed. According to the then President of the United States, the bomb "...had more power than 20,000 tones of TNT ", and it was also infinitely more powerful than the blast power that the British Grand Slam, purportedly the largest bomb in the history of the world, had. The immediate and direct consequence of the bomb was that more than four square miles of the entire city of Hiroshima were completely and irrevocably destroyed, 66,000 people were killed instantaneously, and 69,000 more were seriously injured. Three days later, another atomic bomb, equally powerful, was dropped on the city of Nagasaki, Japan, and this bomb managed to destroy about 1.5 square miles of the city, and kill about 39,000 people, while injuring 25,000 more. The very next day, the Japanese government asked to surrender, under the 'Potsdam Declaration'. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Chapter 1 - The Manhattan Project Atomic Bomb Investigating Group. The Avalon Project at Yale Law School. Retrieved From http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/abomb/mp01.htm Accessed 22 June, 2006
• The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Chapter 7 - The Attacks. The Avalon Project at Yale Law School. Retrieved From http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/abomb/mp07.htm Accessed 22 June, 2006
• The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Chapter 9 - General Description of Damage Caused by the Atomic Explosions. The Avalon Project at Yale Law School. Retrieved From http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/abomb/mp09.htm Accessed 22 June, 2006
• The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Chapter 25 - Eyewitness Account. The Avalon Project at Yale Law School. Retrieved From http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/abomb/mp25.htm Accessed 22 June, 2006
• The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Introduction. The Avalon Project at Yale Law School. Retrieved From http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/abomb/intro.htm Accessed 22 June, 2006

More papers on World War II and the Atomic Bomb:

• Research Paper # 112815 : "The U.S. and the Atomic Bomb"
• Book Review # 115086 : "Duty and the Atomic Bomb"
• Research Paper # 4888 : "The Manhattan Project: The Building of the Atomic Bomb"

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