source. The content of the document describes the events leading up to the dropping of the
bombs, during, and after. It includes primary sources of factual reports, short stories, poems and
drawings from people that experienced the tragedies in Nagasaki and Hiroshima in the 1940s.
The values of this source outweigh the limitations. The book was published 44 years after
the bombings, meaning that people that were alive during the tragedies were able to contribute to
the book. The authors did not express their opinions on whether or not the dropping of the atomic
bombs was justifiable, which shows that the source is factual. When this source was created, the
towns of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were still recovering, and still are to this day. From this
source, we do not know the point of view of an American that dropped the bomb in one of the
aircrafts, or an average American that witnessed the tragedies unfold from home. This book does
not give the point of view of people on the opposite side of those affected by the bombings, and
what their opinion was on it, making this source biased.
3

Section 2: Investigation
For years, historians have studied the purpose of the atomic bombs used on Japan and
why America decided to use them in early August 1945. During World War II, President Harry S.
Truman’s main goal was to keep American deaths to a minimum, which he learned from
President Roosevelt.
1
In April of 1945, Roosevelt gave his approval of The Manhattan Project – a
British-American attempt to beat Germany in a race for the atomic bomb.
2
When Roosevelt
passed, Truman was informed of the atomic bombs by the Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson,
who was weary of Truman’s opinion on the bomb and what he planned to do with it.
Stimson and Truman decided to create a committee of advanced advisers to study the
question of whether or not to use the atomic bomb against Japan called the “Interim
Committee.”
3
The Interim Committee held a two-day conference to consider how, when, and
why the atomic bomb should be used. They discussed whether or not to share the information of
the bombs with the Soviets, demonstrating the bomb for foreign observers, and finally, the idea
of forewarning the Japanese about the dangers of this new weapon. The main purpose of the
bomb was to force the Japanese to surrender during WWII while keeping American losses at a
minimum. On June 1
st
, they decided to drop the bomb as soon as possible; it should be used on a
double target, and should be used without preceding warning.
4
The Frank Report was a document
signed by several valuable
nuclear physicists
recommending that the United States not use the
atomic bomb as a weapon to prompt the surrender of Japan in
WWII
. It explained that the United
States would not be able to maintain domination of nuclear weapons for more than a few years,
and if the bombs were used, it would destroy the chances of an international arms agreement and
1
Walker, J. Samuel, “Prompt and Utter Destruction: Truman and the Use of Atomic Bombs Against Japan” (2004):
9. Accessed January 9, 2017.

