The Korean War

Start Free Trial

According to President Truman's press release of August 6, 1945, why did Truman decide not to use the atomic bomb in the Korean War?

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

The Korean War did not happen until 1950 so the press release during WWII cannot tell us anything about Truman's thinking in Korea.  

In Korea, his decision not to use the bomb had to do with the changed world circumstances.  For one thing, the Soviet Union now had  atomic bombs.  In addition, the Cold War was in full swing and Truman worried that using atomic bombs would cause the Soviets to retaliate in some way.  He worried, for example, that they might invade Western Europe.  This worry was reinforced by leaders from Western Europe who did not want to face the possibility of Soviet action.

See eNotes Ad-Free

Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Approved by eNotes Editorial Team