The Memoirs of Harry S. Truman
Giving the order to drop nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was undoubtedly the defining moment of Harry S. Truman’s Presidency, if not his life. The political, strategic and moral considerations were huge, with strong arguments put forward on both sides. Fortunately for the historians, Truman was a dedicated diarist and didn’t shy away from recording his thoughts on that momentous day towards the end of the Second World War. The diaries also give insights into many other aspects of life in the Oval Office and are widely regarded as being among the most important political memoirs in all of American history.
Truman was sworn in as President less than three hours after the death of political titan FDR on 12 April 1945. He would remain in office until 1953, with his administration making many big policy decisions both at home and abroad. Given the demands of the job, Truman was unable to write in his diary every day. However, he did record his thoughts on some of the most eventful days, not just in his life, but in American history. From his sudden ascension to the top job, through to his successful re-election and daily life in the White House, it’s all in here. However, it’s the days before and after the decision was made to drop the Bomb that are of most interest to the general reader.
Of that momentous decision, Truman wrote: “We have discovered the most terrible bomb in the history of the world…This weapon is to be used against Japan between now and August 10th. I have told the Sec. of War, Mr. Stimson, to use it so that military objectives and soldiers and sailors are the target and not women and children. Even if the Japs are savages, ruthless, merciless and fanatic, we as the leader of the world for the common welfare cannot drop that terrible bomb on the old capital or the new.”
Tellingly, while he acknowledges the destructive power of nuclear weapons, Truman’s diaries show that the Commander-in-Chief had no hesitation in ordering it to be used. Indeed, while he did certainly express some regret that innocents would almost inevitably be killed in large numbers, he concluded of the Japanese, “the only language they seem to understand is the one we have been using to bombard them”.
Harry S. Truman was one of the few modern presidents to keep a diary, making the pages of even greater interest and value. The full diary can be seen at the Truman Library and some of the key entries can be viewed online.