Quote #37

I realize the tragic significance of the atomic bomb. Its production and its use were not lightly undertaken by this Government. But we knew that our enemies were on the search for it. We know now how close they were to finding it. And we knew the disaster, which would come to this Nation, and to all peace-loving nations, to all civilization, if they had found it first. That is why we felt compelled to undertake the long and uncertain and costly labor of discovery and production. We won the race of discovery against the Germans.

More from Harry S. Truman

  1. If Japan does not surrender, bombs will have to be dropped on her war industries and, unfortunately, thousands of civilian lives will be lo…
  2. Having found the bomb we have used it. We have used it against those who attacked us without warning at Pearl Harbor, against those who hav…
  3. The world will note that the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, a military base. That was because we wished in this first attack t…
  4. I do not understand a mind which sees a gracious beneficence in spending money to slay and maim human beings in almost unimaginable numbers…
  5. The British, Chinese, and United States Governments have given the Japanese people adequate warning of what is in store for them. We have l…
  6. Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day.
  7. Today, America has become one of the most powerful forces for good on earth. We must keep it so. We have achieved a world leadership which …
  8. Intense feeling too often obscures the truth.

All Harry S. Truman quotes