Welcome to Denison Forum's Daily Article podcast for Thursday, August 7th, 2025.

I'm narrator, Chris Elkins, voicing today's daily article written by cultural pastor, Dr. Jim Denison.

80 years ago yesterday, the American B-29 bomber in Ola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese

city of Hiroshima. Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. In total, an

estimated 200,000 people were killed. Over the years, opinions have been sharply divided over whether the bombings were justified.

According to Pew Research Center, 35% of Americans say they were,

while 31% say they were not, and 33% are not sure.

So, on the anniversary of the only time nuclear bombs have

ever been used in war, let's ask if they were necessary. Then we'll apply our discussion to an

even more significant question, one that is relevant to each one of us today. By August 1945,

it was clear that Japan had lost World War II.

However, their leaders refused to surrender and instead had prepared to be invaded by

Allied forces recruiting civilians to fight alongside soldiers.

Their purpose was to force the U.S. to negotiate a peace that would leave Japan's

emperor and military government in power. U.S. President Harry Truman had four options.

One, continue conventional bombing of the Japanese homelands. They had already caused an estimated

33,000 Japanese deaths with no move on Japan's part to surrender.

2. Stage a ground invasion of the Japanese homeland.

This would have caused the largest bloodbath in American history with as many as a million American deaths.

Truman's third option? Demonstrate the atomic bomb on an unpopulated area.

However, there were only two bombs in existence at the time.

If this test failed, Japan's resolve would have been strengthened,

...