I had then set up a committee of top men and had asked
them to study with great care the implications the new
weapons might have for us. It was their recommendation
that the bomb be used against the enemy as soon as it
could be done. They recommended further that it should
be used without specific warning. ... I had realized, of
course, that an atomic bomb explosion would inflict
damage and casualties beyond imagination. On the other
hand, the scientific advisors of the committee reported..
that no technical demonstration they might propose,
such as over a deserted island, would be likely to bring
the war to an end. It had to be used against an enemy
target. The final decision of where and when to use the
atomic bomb was up to me. Let there be no mistake about
it. I regarded the bomb as a military weapon and never
doubted it should be used.
Background information: This passage comes from
the memoirs of US President Harry S. Truman, who
made the decision to use the atomic bomb.
Which of these statements best expresses President
Truman's feelings in this passage?
He regretted his decision to drop the bomb on
Japan.
He believed that using the bomb was absolutely
necessary to end the war.
He was undecided about whether to use the bomb,
but was talked into it.
He made the decision on his own, without input
from US Army advisors