3.+The+Opposition

The opposition to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki exists and is has a very strong case. The bombings have been called unethical and not part of //[|jus en bello] .// As General George C. Marshall reminded Truman concerning the Tokyo fire bombings of 1945, "we killed 100,000 Japanese... but it didn't mean a thing insofar as actually beating the Japanese" (Walker 3). The arguments against the bombing claim them to be **unnecessary, overtly aggressive, racist, and inhumane**.

**Unnecessary**
The use of the atomic bomb was largely a surprise to the majority of people in all countries, as the knowledge of such a vastly powerful weapon was largely unknown to exist prior to the bombing of Hiroshima. Even Stalin did not know of the United States' possession of the atomic bomb, as is seen in Truman's handwritten note from July 19, 1946:

Japan was no exception to this cloud of mystery, therefore it had no idea of the destruction that would soon befall two of its largest cities. Because of this, it is argued that the United States should have given Japan a warning that they would be bombed with weapons of such force and allowed a period of time to surrender before being bombed. Many think that this would have been enough to force the Japanese into surrender, as even Paul Nitze, the author of the United States Strategic Bombing Survey of the Pacific War of World War II, said, "Based on a detailed investigation of all the facts, and supported by the testimony of the surviving Japanese leaders involved, it is the Survey's opinion that certainly prior to 31 December 1945, and in all probability prior to 1 November 1945, Japan would have surrendered even if the atomic bombs had not been dropped, even if Russia had not entered the war, and even if no invasion had been planned or contemplated" (Nitze). This statement was made with the assumption that fire bombings of Japanese cities would have continued, with ever increasing numbers of armed B-29 bombers. Nitze concluded that these deaths and injuries were not necessary and that enough grief had been caused to the Japanese people: "By July 1945, the weight of our air attack had as yet reached only a fraction of its planned proportion, Japan's industrial potential had been fatally reduced, her civilian population had lost its confidence in victory and was approaching the limit of its endurance, and her leaders, convinced of the inevitability of defeat, were preparing to accept surrender" (Nitze).

**Alternative Motives**
Other arguments against the use of the atomic bomb state that the bomb was dropped with an alternative motives. Some argue that the image of the Japanese as sub-human and the view of the American as superior led to an underlying racism that played a part in the destruction of the Japanese cities. Another view is that "Truman wanted to demonstrate to the Soviets that the United States not only had the nuclear weapon but also had the will to use it, thereby creating a dominant position for the United States in the post–World War II period" (Carlisle). The abrupt end to the war would send a message to the Soviet Union and prevent them from experiencing any territorial gains from a potential homeland invasion of Japan.

The bombing is also often seen as a war crime and a violation of the basic laws of human rights. As Keijiro Matsushima, a survivor of the bombing of Hiroshima, said concerning the actual event, "Without exception they stretched their arms out in front of them and were walking very slowly, marching like ghosts. I saw many 12- and 13-year-old boys and girls heavily burnt among those victims. When I think of these boys and girls, I can't stop the tears" (Smith). The atrocious strength of the attack has also been seen as some sort of reparation for the attack on Pearl Harbor, as can be viewed where the press release from the White House "commented that the Japanese had "been repaid many fold" for their attack on Pearl Harbor" shortly after the bombing of Hiroshima (Walker 79). Using a force more than 1000 times more powerful that any other seen on earth up to that point in time would send a message to Japan, but it is argued that the amount of force was excessive and the damage done far too extensive. Etchings of the clothing survivors were wearing became burned into their skin as scars. Testimonies of the [|hibakusha] (survivors of the nuclear attack).
 * Overtly Agressive and Inhumane**