The Big Bang The opportunity to end World War II was right in front of President Truman, but could he unleash the horrible weapon on Japan? Would he be able to use the weapon that would likely be the most destructive weapon ever used? President Truman's goal was to end the war as quickly as possible, and with the atomic bomb, he would be able to achieve this goal. President Truman believed that the atomic bomb would save both American and Japanese lives. Although the bomb seemed like the best option for the job, President Truman would still have to make a difficult decision that would likely stay with him for the rest of his life. Truman's decision to drop the atomic bombs was highly criticized due to the cruel and inhumane nature of the bombs. Barnes illustrates the devastating effects the atomic bomb caused on Japanese civilians by saying that hundreds of thousands of civilians with no political capacity opposed their militaristic government. Innocent women and children were vaporized, covered in radiation, horribly burned, buried in rubble, impaled by flying debris, and transformed into scorched blobs of carbon. Neighborhoods full of entire families were simply destroyed. Survivors faced radiation sickness, starvation, and crippling mutilations. Survivors also reported spiritual and emotional damage. Citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were treated as if they had a communicable disease. Other citizens who had difficulty dealing with the trauma caused by the bombs committed suicide. The survivors were continually haunted by radiation. Not only did radiation cause lifelong illness, it also increased the rate of various cancers. Birth defects for pregnant women increased considerably at the time, and although it is not yet known whether birth defects are passed down from generation to generation, bomb survivors and their children will continue to face anxiety over these possibilities (7). It is devastating to know that the atomic bombs caused those who were unable to live with the negative impact of the atomic bombs to commit suicide and that other innocent Japanese civilians had to live with lifelong health problems due to the negative effects of radiation which will undoubtedly last. for several generations. Atomic weapons were not dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to harm innocent Japanese civilians, even though that is what many people see when they look at atomic bombs. The bombs were dropped to end World War II in the most efficient way possible at the time. Gar Alperovitz, a professor at the University of Maryland, says: “He believes that US politicians have used the weapon primarily to