War has played a key role in the history of the United States, from the nation's founding

right down to the present. War made the U.S. independent, kept it together, increased its size,

and established it as a global superpower. Understanding America's wars is essential for understanding American history.

Welcome to Key Battles of American History,

a podcast in which we discuss American history

through the lens of the most important battles of America's wars.

Here is your host, James Early.

Thank you. host, James Early. Hello and welcome to a special bonus episode of Key Battles of American History.

This is your host, James Early, as always.

On August 6th, 1945, an American B-29 bomber dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese

city of Hiroshima in a surprise attack that rained down death and destruction. Three days

later, another B-29 dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki with similar results. The atomic bombs

killed between 100,000 and 160,000 people instantly,

and tens of thousand more subsequently died from radiation poisoning and from other effects of the

bomb. Many others survived the attack but would be scarred for life. The dropping of the atomic bombs

led to the Japanese surrender on August 15th.

But was Truman's use of the bombs justified?

Joining me today to discuss this difficult question is Richard Lim,

hosted the excellent podcast, This American President,

which is also the newest member of the Parthenon Podcast Network.

For many years, Richard has extensively studied American presidents and the challenges

they faced, including Truman's decision to use the atomic bombs.

...