Dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima With the end of World War II upon us, Harry S. Truman represented the United States in Potsdam, Germany, to decide the fate of the world post-war. The key people at the conference were the Allied leaders, Soviet Premier Stalin, Prime Minister Churchill and Truman. Dubbed the “Big Three” in the second post-war conference, they were charged with the arduous task of dealing with Japan and their continued effort to end the war. The Potsdam Declaration is born. It simply stated that Japan must immediately accept an unconditional surrender or face total destruction. Japan would ignore this statement (Scoenberger, 1969). By the summer of 1945, the war in the Pacific was in its fourth year (Scoenberger, 1969). The number of victims and the consumption of resources were enormous. Conventional bombing and ground forces are making little progress. It was feared that the war would last much longer. The Allies look to a rapid conclusion to the last battles of the World War (Scoenberger, 1969). Japan showed no intention of surrendering or reaching a peace agreement that would force the United States to look to new technologies. The United States had been studying the development of new weapons throughout the war. Conventional bomb technology had apparently reached an end state. The use of unconventional payloads was a new horizon. Begun years earlier, a series of development projects aimed to use atomic energy as a weapon. The Manhattan Project was one of the top secret test beds to develop the world's first atomic bombs, "Fat Man" and "Little boy" (Hoddeson, 2009). The "Little Boy" would be used on Hiroshima. This was a fis type gun... middle of paper... use of atomic weapons after these incidents. These events formed the Commission for the Victims of the Atomic Bomb. The National Academy of Sciences was also sent to conduct ongoing research on the effects of radiation on the populations of both bombing sites (Truman). I am of the opinion that the use of atomic weapons in World War II and subsequent studies enlighten the world about the new capabilities of weapons systems and delivery vehicles in the world. Without these tragic events, a much more catastrophic event may have occurred. History has laid the foundation for modern warfare, and currently the use of nuclear weapons is considered a last resort on a global scale. The world is entering a new era of warfare, with nation states and organizations engaging in non-standard conflicts. The modern battlefield cannot support these types of attacks. Tragic lesson learned.