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.

Music 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 6, 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.

Richard, welcome to the show.

How are you this evening?

I'm doing great.

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