When the news broke, the press in the USA and Britain viewed the bombing positively as an action that brought the war in the Pacific to a rapid end. It was argued that the main strategic alternative to the atom bomb, the Allies conquering Japan, would have been much more costly in terms of lives, resources and time. In the USA, memories of the attack on Pearl Harbour meant that there was little sympathy for the Japanese as the war they had started brought them to a terrible end. Everyone was glad the war was over.
Later commentators have reassessed this view, questioning whether Truman really had to use the atomic bomb. The images of the devastation caused to Hiroshima and Nagasaki remain shocking today. From a peacetime perspective, we think about the suffering of those who died and those who survived the blasts.