[AlaskaErik]

It was the correct thing to do and he should never have had any doubts about his decision.

[SeekAndFind]

He said he "didn't have any doubt" about the wisdom of the decision—unlike those he pictured as "eggheads" or "Monday morning quarterbacks." He called it the "most terrible decision that any man in the history of the world had to make" but "I'd do it again" and "I would not hesitate." On one occasion, asked how long it took him to decide to use the new device, he simply snapped his fingers.

When the scientific director of the bomb project at Los Alamos, Robert Oppenheimer, revealed during a private meeting with the president shortly after the war that he feared he had "blood on my hands," Truman (by varying accounts) either offered to pass him a handkerchief or simply told him to quit worrying, the decision was his. After he left, in any event, Truman complained to a top adviser that the "Father of the Atomic Bomb" was a "crybaby scientist."

In an interview he cited the Japanese soldiers as vicious fighters and "I thought that wiping out complete cities with the bomb would be better." And in 1959, long out of office, he declared (not for the last time) that "I never lost any sleep over my decision," perhaps the line most associated with Truman and the bomb. But Truman went further: He didn't want anyone else to lose any sleep over it, either. In private, he instructed the pilot of the plane that dropped the first bomb, Paul Tibbets, "Don't you ever lose any sleep over the fact that you planned and carried out that mission. It was my decision. You had no choice."

[MNJohnnie]

Anyone questioning the decision is a historic illiterate who understand nothing about the situation at the time

An Invasion or a land-sea siege would of killed 10s of millions of Japanese. Either as collateral damage or via starvation and disease

The Japanese Government was mobilizing to wage a total war if invaded. Every Japanese from child to elder was to be used as a weapon.

It idiocy this question is still being asked by Democrat Marxists in the US “News” media

[Vermont Lt]

I have a letter that my uncle wrote while sitting on Leyte waiting for the next phase of the war to start.

He wrote, “I heard about the atomic bomb used on Japan. It sounds like a horrible weapon. But Japan could have surrendered whenever they wanted.”

He was exhausted and was just happy the war ended. He never held a grudge against the Japanese…but he wasn’t a fan either. I think that applied to a lot of people in his position.

My Dad, who lost a brother and who did War Crimes Investigations in Japan, was another story.

[God luvs America]

An estimated 220,000 died from the bombs at Hiroshima & Nagasaki....that amount would’ve be 10x had the US & allies been forced to attack the Jap mainland, which would’ve been the only way to end the war and get the Japs to surrender...

[Vision]

Nobody regrets it now.

[Zhang Fei]

But after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Truman took the dropping of the bomb outside of the hands of the military staff. Unlike for conventional bombs, he had to be consulted for every nuke dropped. Sadly, today, that micromanagement has extended to conventional bombs, with LBJ really horning in on what had been the prerogative of GOFOs.

[Zhang Fei]

Meetinghouse killed in a day over Tokyo 100K residents, more people than Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined.

[rdcbn1]

Despite the objections from revisionist historians, President Truman’s decision to end the war with Japan via the use of atomic weapons was the right decision on many levels, especially given the Soviet espionage penetration of the Manhattan project

The atomic weapons ended the war with Japan without massive losses of life in both the allied sides d the Japanese side of the war. Japan had enough trouble recovering and rebuilding after WWII without the total devastation that would have occurred in an invasion of Japan

Worse, Stalin was informed of the success of the Trinity test almost as soon as it took place and had the espionage on how to build a Soviet weapon from Greenglass, Fuchs and the Rosenberg espionage network

The world could have been a much different place place if Stalin had time to exploit the Soviet espionage to develop a Russian bomb while the US got bogged down and diverted in a land war in Japan and scaled back the Manhattan project

[xp38]

Even if he did regret it it cannot be undone. Most yutes these days don’t even know when WWII happened or why or who was involved.

[Deaf Smith]

Why are you posting a story by Newsweak from six years ago?

[albie]

Only the Lame asses at Newsweak would ask such a lame question.

[ansel12]

No one ever talks about Presidents and PTSD, thankfully, since it doesn’t seem to have been a problem, including for all the ex-military, ex war heroes, and 12 ex generals who have been presidents, but each and every one of them have had to make incredible decisions, even ones we don’t associate with such decisions were making them.

There are times when I am glad that I can merely have an opinion, or not have one, instead of being the guy who actually has to make a firm decision that will be executed on (and this post isn’t about the atom bomb, that seems an easy decision to me).

[doorgunner69]

Japan had killed far more civilians and needed to be stopped from furthering their killing.

Never been a single Pacific war veteran recorded as saying it was wrong, has there?

[doorgunner69]

A true shame what has happened to the democrat brand since the likes of Truman

[allendale]

Know one person who never doubted his decision. My father in law flew 26 combat missions in a B24 out of Italy with the 15th Air Force as a gunner. Somehow survived some incredible episodes. Flew from May 1944 thru August 1944.Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Was rotated back to the States and was immedeatly grabbed as a chaffeur for some stateside general. By March 1945 he was reassigned to a new unit training in Texas for action in the Pacific. By then the new pilots of these four engine bombers were often high school graduates who passed aptitude tests. He related that it was a terrifying experience as these young pilots tried to learn how to fly in formation. He said he used up all his luck over Europe. He was convinced that he survived the war only because Truman dropped that bomb and forced Japan to surrender. Only reason my wife and children came to exist. He was a great, humble man who was affected for the rest of his life by his wartime experiences.

[central_va]

Made in the USA and tested in Japan.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

Here we go. Now we are going to write Woke fan fiction in which historical figures are guilt-ridden over their decisions that aren’t PC under today’s standards. Good old Harry Truman is filled with remorse over his callous murder of non-whites. He’s going to attend a struggle session to atone. Who’s next on the list? Maybe liberal darling Woodrow Wilson atoning for his unrepentant racism?

[Midwesterner53]

Ask him how he likes the current Democrat/Maoist Party.

[DFG]

“Operation Meetinghouse” March 9-10, 1945 : The firebomb raids killed about 100,000 in Tokyo. Charles Buckinsky (Charles Bronson) was a B-29 gunner on these Tokyo firebomb missions.

If the atomic bombs were not used, much more of Japan would have been firebombed. 2,000 more B-29’s would have delivered to the Mariana’s and thousands of B-17’s and B-24’s would have bombed Japan from Okinawa.