Perspectives from the Time:
President Harry Truman
Here is President Truman's US TV appearance announcing that the bomb had been dropped.
Here's a transcript of that speech.
Truman's Diaries (don't forget about the differences between speeches and diaries - scroll down until August 25th)
US Nuclear Scientists
A group of nuclear scientists petition the President to argue against the use of the bomb against Japan.
(July 1945)
Here is a later interview with Leo Szilard, the leading scientist who put forward the petition.
This podcast series from the BBC looks at the whole story, with an emphasis on the scientists' perspective:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08llv8n
Modern Perspectives:
This article gives an excellent overview of the current state of the dispute:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/04/hiroshima-atomic-bomb-us-japan-history
BBC History Magazine - Various historians
Here is an article from BBC History Magazine. It contains a variety of modern perspectives on the Atomic Bomb question.
Gar Alperovitz is a well-known opponent of the dropping of the bombs
- Here is his summary of what he has said about the subject.
- Here is another article called "The War Was Won Before Hiroshima"
- A similar article appears on Counter-Punch ("the fearless voice of the American Left")
Michael Perry May vs William J. Astore
Two modern historians debate the question in detail.
'The Bulletin' Article
This discusses what European people believe about the Atomic Bombings now, and whether those beliefs are justified