As I read They Called Us Enemy, something concerning popped into my mind. The use of the atomic bombs, the “Little Boy” and the “Fat Man,” were authorized anytime after August 3, 1945. These weapons to end World War II caused massive destruction and death in two cities. Was it necessary to end the war?

Nearing the end of World War II, the US thought the atomic bomb should be used on “evil.” Japan. The reason that authorized the use of this weapon was to prevent the deaths of American soldiers in a pointless battle. The invasion of Japan would kill an estimate of at least 1.7 million people including American prisoners of war. This was because Japan had formed a Volunteer Fighting Corp which had 28 million combat ready civilians. The decision to drop the atomic bomb was also justified by Mitsuo Fuchida (Document G), a Japanese captain. He states that Japanese soldiers would give their lives for the emperor and hoped they would cause a lot of casualties on the Allies that they would surrender.

They Called Us Enemy – (pg. 157)

But what happened after? A flash of light and a hundred thousand people dead. The civilians in Hiroshima fleeing. All of them hurt in some way: “Many, although injured themselves, supported relatives who were worse off. Almost all had their heads bowed, looked straight ahead, were silent, and showed no expression whatsoever.” Three days later, the same thing happened in Nagasaki.

Genbaku Dome after the bombing of Hiroshima

It is a hard subject to think about. It is a very hard question to answer. I have no answer. But we can learn from the decisions of the past. And then we move on from the past.