Harry S. Truman: Statement Announcing the Use of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima

Explanation and Analysis of the Document

Harry S. Truman's Statement Announcing the Use of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, made on August 6, 1945, reflects the daunting decision he faced after becoming president following the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 12, 1945. On April 24, shortly after taking office, Truman had been briefed on the existence of the Manhattan Project, a secret program to develop an atomic weapon. He was warned that the Soviet Union also had a nuclear program, but it was several years behind that of the United States. On July 16 the Manhattan Project scientists triggered the world's first nuclear bomb detonation. When Japan refused to surrender unconditionally, Truman ordered the military to use the weapon against Japan. The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6. Japan still would not surrender, and Truman authorized a second nuclear attack that targeted Nagasaki three days later. The attacks killed more than two hundred thousand people and injured many more. Japan surrendered on August 14.

On August 6, Truman delivered a radio address to the American people announcing the use of the atomic bomb. He notes that the bomb had the power of more than twenty thousand tons of TNT and was by far the most potent weapon ever used in warfare. Truman says that more such weapons were in production and that they had “added a new and revolutionary increase in destruction to supplement the growing power of our armed forces.” He describes the new weapon as “harnessing … the basic power of the universe” and goes on to provide an overview of the Manhattan Project. The president explains that U.S. scientists were in a “race” to develop nuclear weapons before Germany and that the country had worked with its ally Great Britain. He also tells Americans that the program had cost $2 billion and employed some sixty-five thousand people.

The president asserts that the three Allied powers had issued their ultimatum on unconditional surrender in order to “spare” the Japanese from “utter destruction.” But he warns that the United States was “prepared to obliterate more rapidly and completely every productive enterprise the Japanese have above ground in any city.” Truman declares that the United States was prepared to use more atomic weapons against Japan and to follow those strikes with further air, land, and sea operations. He concludes the address by speaking about the potential peaceful uses of nuclear energy and states that eventually nuclear power could “supplement” oil and coal to help meet the demands of the nation. The president tells Americans that he intended to ask Congress to create a commission to explore how atomic energy could be harnessed for peaceful purposes.

For Truman, the decision to use the atomic bomb was a difficult one, but he defended his choice throughout his life. The president sincerely believed that its use saved countless American lives and shortened the war. Truman was also well aware of growing tensions with the Soviet Union and realized that a demonstration of the potency of the new American weapon could help bolster the nation's postwar position in the nascent cold war struggle. The president and his advisers further understood how negative the public reaction would likely be if Americans learned that the government had atomic weapons but failed to use them and instead conducted an invasion at the cost of American lives. The overwhelming majority of Americans supported the use of these nuclear strikes at the time, even though few, including Truman, understood the long-term consequences of the attack—such as damage to the environment and an increase in diseases like cancer caused by exposure to radiation. In 1946 the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission was created to help develop peaceful uses for nuclear energy. The commission also oversaw the nation's continuing nuclear weapons program. In 1949 the Soviet Union detonated its own atomic weapon, formalizing the arms race between the two nations. Truman authorized the development of a more powerful hydrogen bomb, which the country tested in 1954.