The decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki put an immediate end to World War II. While some may view it to be a necessary evil, such as author Robert P. Newman, who believes that Truman had carefully considered all of the options, the bombs were the fastest way to end the war. and that Truman believed the Soviets were not necessary in terms of ending the war. Others, such as author Gar Alperovitz, believe that Truman had been aware that the bombs were not exactly necessary because Truman knew what the implications of allowing the Soviets to enter the war and altering the surrender terms would consist of. Gar Alperovitz is the author of Hiroshima: History Reassess. Alperovitz argues three main points in his article: the Soviet entry into the war would've resulted in its immediate end, the atomic bomb was used mostly to intimidate Russia, and there had been no support acknowledging the bombs necessity after the war. .
Alperovitz heavily cites multiple sources in the beginning of his article all claiming that the Soviet entry into the war would've put an immediate end to it. The War Departments study concludes, "the Japanese leaders had decided to surrender and were merely looking for sufficient pretext to convince the die-hard Army Group that Japan had lost the war and must capitulate to the Allies." The document further explains that Russia's entry "would almost certainly have furnished this pretext, and would have been sufficient to convince all responsible leaders that surrender was unavoidable." Alperovitz claims that military experts have assessed Japan's "military vulnerability, particularly its shortages of everything from ammunition and fuel to trained personnel.".
Alperovitz moves on to his next major argument that being the United States only carried through with the development and the use of the A-Bomb in order to impress Russia.
