In Japanese culture, it was disgraceful to lose anything, especially a war. So, because the Japanese were so nationalistic, they would fight to the death and the Americans knew Japan wouldn't surrender until they had exhausted their last resource. President Harry Truman ordered the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the war so it wouldn't go on longer and American lives would not be lost. After both bombs were dropped Japan finally surrendered and World War ll was over. But, the creation of the atomic bomb led to the Cold War, which was a nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union.