Excerpt from Harry S. Truman’s Statement Announcing the Use of the A-Bomb at Hiroshima, August 6, 1945
SIXTEEN HOURS AGO an American airplane dropped one bomb on Hiroshima, an important Japanese Army base. That bomb had more power than 20,000 tons of T.N.T. It had more than two thousand times the blast power of the British "Grand Slam" which is the largest bomb ever yet used in the history of warfare.
The Japanese began the war from the air at Pearl Harbor. They have been repaid many fold. And the end is not yet. With this bomb we have now added a new and revolutionary increase in destruction to supplement the growing power of our armed forces. In their present form these bombs are now in production and even more powerful forms are in development.
It is an atomic bomb. It is a harnessing of the basic power of the universe. The force from which the sun draws its power has been loosed against those who brought war to the Far East. . . .
Use the excerpt from Harry S. Truman’s statement to answer the question.
How does this statement demonstrate the effect of the U.S. bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the nation’s post-war influence?
A.
The magnitude of the technology’s attack potential secured the nation’s status as a superpower.
B.
The deliberation with which the nation conducted the attack demonstrated a new diplomatic maturity.
C.
The role of the decision in ending the war on both fronts secured the nation a seat at the peace table.
D.
The scale of the destruction led to distrust, resentment, and fear of the nation in the post-war period.