Michael Rockler

Perhaps the greatest ethical dilemma Truman faced was the decision to end the war with Japan by using the atomic bomb. To this day there are those who praise him for bringing the war to an end with the minimal additional loss of the lives of U.S. and Allied troops. There are also those who condemn him for the use of this terrible weapon of mass destruction. But the use of the bomb can be seen as a case of the direct application of utilitarian ethics.

Within few weeks of Truman becoming president, the war in Europe ended with the defeat of Germany. Truman also received word that the United States had developed a nuclear bomb capable of tremendous destruction. He was required to decide whether to use this weapon on the Japanese to bring about their quicker surrender and the final conclusion of the war.

It could be assumed that with the end of the war in Europe, an invasion of Japan would be successful, and that the war could be ended with the conquest of Japan. However, to do this would cost a lot of human lives. Since the invasion never took place, it is impossible to know how many Allied soldiers would have died in the invasion. Truman heard estimates that put the death toll in the range of 500,000 to 1,000,000 Allied casualties.