Michelle in MO
01-26-2009, 08:10 PM
My oldest has to do a term paper every semester for her dual-enrollment US History course. She's leaning towards writing a term paper (must be a minimum of 12 pp.) on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Specifically, her thesis would be that dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not really necessary, despite the prevailing belief in the U.S. that this helped shorten the war with Japan. She does not blame Truman and understands why the decision was made, but she also has a very tender heart (who wouldn't?) towards the innocent civilians that perished. She has done some independent reading on her own, like the book Hiroshima by John Hershey. I also have read E=mc^2, which has a chapter at the end that makes a fairly strong case regarding conflicting intelligence that Harry Truman was given at the time. I will have her read that.
But, can anyone recommend any other books, articles, etc., either for or against whether or not the US should have dropped the atomic bomb on these two cities, because I think she's open-minded enough to explore the issue further and draw conclusions. At this point in time, though, she does not think this action was necessary by the United States.
Any help, ladies (and gents)?
Thank you!
But, can anyone recommend any other books, articles, etc., either for or against whether or not the US should have dropped the atomic bomb on these two cities, because I think she's open-minded enough to explore the issue further and draw conclusions. At this point in time, though, she does not think this action was necessary by the United States.
Any help, ladies (and gents)?
Thank you!