The Decision to Drop the Atomic BombOn December 7, 1941, Japan bombed the United States naval facility known as Pearl Harbor. This attack brought the United States into World War II. Over the next four years, the United States, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, researched and developed an atomic bomb. This was known as the Manhattan Project. Such a bomb was more powerful and destructive than any other bomb known to man. After FDR's death on April 12, 1945, the decision to drop the bomb was left in the hands of the new president, Harry S. Truman. On July 25, 1945, President Truman gave the order to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Twelve days later, an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, exploding with the force of 15,000 tons of TNT and instantly reaching a temperature of 5,400 degrees Fahrenheit (Gup 80). Six days later, Nagasaki was hit by a second atomic bomb. These decisions changed society's perception of war for generations to come. Thousands of lives were cut short. Most of these were civilians and prisoners of war. There were several alternatives to dropping the bomb. The introduction of this weapon started a nuclear arms race. Some claim that the atomic bomb saved lives, yet thousands of people were killed. President Harry Truman made the wrong decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki because the bombs killed thousands of civilians. When the bomb hit Hiroshima, 350,000 people were exposed (Gup 89). The population of the city of Hiroshima was approximately 290,000. Of these, 40,000 were military personnel and 20,000 were Korean forced laborers. There are also documents showing that there were at least 23 Americans... half of paper...: from Reconstruction to the present. San Diego, Green Haven Press, Inc., 1996.) Gordon, Thomas and Max M. Witts. Enola Gay. New York: Stein and Day, 1977. Gup, Ted. "Hiroshima: From Ground Zero." National Geographic August 1995: 78-99. International law: bombing of civilians. [Online] Available http://www.peak.org/~danneng/decision/int-law.html. 4/3/98. (note: documentation in the text is listed as "Read") The profile of the atomic bomb damage at Hiroshima. [Online] Available http://www.city.hiroshima.jp/City/3-1-4.html. 8/3/98. (note: documentation in the text is referred to as "Hiroshima")Stokesbury, James L. "World War II." World book encyclopedia. 1992 ed.Szilard, Leo. Atomic Bomb: Decision - Szilard Petition Version 1, July 3, 1945. [Online]Available http://www.peak.org/~danneng/decision/45-07-03.html. 3/4/98.