Question

This passage comes from the memoirs of Admiral William Leahy, one of President Truman's top advisers. Use the highlighting tool to identify text that shows Admiral Leahy's opinion of the atomic bomb.

The use of this barbarous weapon at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan. The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender. . . . In being the first to use it, we . . . adopted an ethical standard common to the barbarians of the Dark Ages. I was not taught to make war in that fashion, and wars cannot be won by destroying women and children. . . .

I voiced . . . my grave misgivings, first on the basis of my belief that Japan was already defeated and that dropping the bomb was completely unnecessary and . . . no longer mandatory as a measure to save American lives. It was my belief that Japan was, at that very moment, seeking some way to surrender with a minimum loss of "face."

–Admiral William E. Leahy

Which phrase from the passage gives Admiral Leahy’s opinion of the atomic bomb itself?

“the Japanese were already defeated”
“in being the first to use it”
“barbarous weapon”
“basis of my belief”

Answer 1

Admiral Leahy's opinion of the atomic bomb itself is succinctly captured in the phrase "barbarous weapon," signifying his disapproval of its use against Japan.

Step-by-step explanation:

The phrase from the passage that gives Admiral William Leahy's opinion of the atomic bomb itself is "barbarous weapon". Leahy describes the atomic bomb as a brutal and unsophisticated tool of war, akin to the practices of the Dark Ages. This phrase clearly conveys his negative stance on the morality of using the atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, highlighting his belief that it was unnecessary and that Japan was seeking surrender.