Here's some information that will help.
President Harry Truman was stuck with a difficult decision during World War II. This decision is in regards to whether or not he would use the atomic bomb on Japan.
On one hand, this act of violence may be seen as barbaric and unnecessary by other countries. If the US uses this bomb, they may be viewed poorly by other global superpowers.
On the other hand, using the bomb would help bring a quick and decisive end to World War II. Before dropping this bomb, the Allied powers decided at the Potsdam Conference that they would like Japan to agree to an unconditional surrender. Japan refused this offer. After this rejection, Truman considered doing a land invasion, one that was similar to the storming of Normandy launched in France.
However, this was not considered a good choice either. This is because a Normandy type invasion was estimated to result in 1 million casualties. With this in mind, Truman considered that dropping atomic bombs would save numerous American and Japanese lives, as the predicted amount effected by the bombs was a smaller number than the amount of casualties that would come from a land invasion.
These factors lead him to in fact drop the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945. Shortly thereafter, Japan agreed to an unconditional surrender.
