Truman's Decision to Drop the A-Bomb

1. Who was Harry S. Truman's Secretary of War?      
Harry S. Truman's Secretary of War was Stimson.
2. Who was Truman's Chief of Staff?       
Truman's Chief of Staff was Admiral William D. Leahy.
3. Why did Truman believe nuclear bombs needed to be used?    
Truman believed nuclear bombs needed to be used because he wanted unconditional surrender from Japan.
4. Why did Admiral Leahy believe nuclear bombs didn't need to be used?      
Admiral Leahy believed that nuclear bombs didn't need to be used because he believed Japan was already defeated and ready to surrender due to the sea blockade and the bombing of the mainland. 
5. Why did Supreme Allied Commander and future president Dwight D. Eisenhower believe they didn't need to be used?      
Supreme Allied Commander and future president Dwight D. Eisenhower believed that they didn't need to be used because he believed Japan was already defeated and thus the bombs were completely unnecessary. 
6. Critics of Truman fall into two camps. One was that he acted rashly because of his "inferior foreign policy skills" when compared to FDR. What is the other major criticism?     
The other major criticism is that the cost of the Manhattan Project was so great that the amateur Truman felt forced to carry out its goal. 
7. Key critics of Truman's use of the bomb weren't on the "historical fringe," but were who?      
Key critics of Truman's use of the bomb were Truman's Secretary of War, Stimson, and his Chief of Staff, William D. Leahy.
8. Truman began to soften on his stance for unconditional surrender but something occurred that changed his mind for good. What was that?     
The success of the Trinity Test changed Truman's mind for good.
9. Besides defeating Japan what was Truman's other possible motivation for using the nuclear bombs on Japan?    
Truman's other possible motivation for using the nuclear bombs on Japan was to demonstrate the United States' power to the Soviet Union.
10. At Yalta Stalin promised to enter the war against Japan once Germany was defeated. Conventional thinking said this if the Soviets began fighting against Japan.     
Conventional thinking said that the Japanese would definitely declare defeat.
11. The four-power surrender ultimatum to be presented to Japan was to be written and decided upon where?    
The Potsdam Conference, which was to be in July 1945.
12. What did the Washington Post editorialize about "unconditional surrender"?     
The Washington Post said that "unconditional surrender" was never an ideal formula, meaning it was never truly desired.
13. What is the significance of Paragraph 12 in the draft copy of the Potsdam Proclamation prior to Truman setting sail on the USS Augusta? (More detail is needed for this question)     
The significance of paragraph 12 in the draft copy of the Potsdam Proclamation prior to Truman setting sail on the USS Augusta was that it indicated that the fate of the current Japanese emperor at that time would be up to Japan, while the revised version of the paragraph didn't mention the "present dynasty".
14. What changed when the Proclamation was publicly announced on July 26?       
Paragraph 12 had been revised.
15. According to the author, what might have changed Truman's mind to alter the wording in Paragraph 12? (More detail is needed for this question)      
According to the author, the success of the Trinity test might have changed Truman's mind to alter the wording in Paragraph 12. This is because Truman now saw this nuclear power as a way to not only end the war but to also show the USSR what the U.S. was now capable of.
16. Regarding his diary entry of a conversation with Winston Churchill (who is call "P.M." in the entry) what does the author suggest about Truman's attitude with the bomb despite learning what he does from Churchill?      
The author suggests that Truman was almost excited and still planning to use the bomb even though it appeared no longer necessary in order to have Japan surrender. 
17. What does his caption on the back of the photo of Stalin and Truman suggest about the use of the bomb?      
Truman's caption on the back of the photo of Stalin and Truman suggests that Truman was eager to use the bomb and to show it off to Stalin. 
18. "From a foreign policy perspective" what two accomplishments were made by dropping the bomb?    
"From a foreign policy perspective", the two accomplishments that were made by the dropping of the bomb were: ending the war with Japan and making the first move against the Soviet Union in the Cold War.
19. To give credit to Truman, why didn't he know what FDR's intentions were with the bomb?    
Truman didn't know what FDR's intentions were with the  bomb because he was a senator and then a vice president before and was kept in the dark about the bomb preparations, and he couldn't consult FDR since it was his death that brought Truman into the presidency. 
20. How did the discrepancy between the loss of 1 million U.S. soldiers lives versus 20,000 to 40,000 if Japan's mainland would have been invaded, affect the understanding of their use?           
The discrepancy between the loss of 1 million U.S. soldiers' lives versus 20, 000 to 40, 000 if Japan's mainland would have been invaded affected the understanding of the bombs' use because with the 1 million estimate it seems as if the bombs would save American lives, that's why the the 1 million figure was an exaggerated estimate: it was a justification to using the bombs despite the many Japanese losses.
21. Based on your readings, this reading, and discussion in class, in a paragraph or two, answer the following: To what extent was President Truman's decision to drop bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki justified?     

Based on the readings and discussion in class, President Truman's decision to drop the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was justified only by a small amount. Unconditional surrender was desired mainly by Truman, but not by his advisors or Churchill. Even when it became known that Japan was ready to surrender, Truman was still eagerly supporting the dropping of the bombs. He claimed it was to permanently end the war with Japan, which many argued was already over thanks to blockades and mainland bombing, and then he gained even more motivation to drop the bombs due to the prospect of intimidating the Soviet Union. Truman even went ahead and approved the dropping of the atomic bombs before telling Congress, or the people. He could have shown the power of the United States by going ahead and invading Japan before the 90 days the Soviet's declared had to pass before they'd help, and forcing them to admit defeat with the U.S. military. This, while costing more American lives, would still show the Soviet Union that the U.S. was certainly not dependent on them, and that their alliance was full of suspicion. The atomic bombing cost thousands of innocent Japanese lives, and was a cruel way to model power. Truman showed almost childish characteristics while deciding what to do with the bombs; he made comments such as "I am sure they will when Manhattan appears over their homeland" which demonstrated his aggression and absurd excitement over the event. He knew how much it cost the country to make the bombs, and was not willing to let that go to waste. While the bombs certainly caused the Soviets to realize the power of the U.S, they were not the only means in which that could have been done. Basically, Truman was an inexperienced president that was overwhelmed with the information of the bombs and their expensive construction, as well as the impending USSR, and he ignorantly approved the bombing despite the obvious disagreement from most of his advisors and the immense destruction it would cause.