Eighty years ago this week, the first atomic bomb to be used in war was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, the city of Nagasaki was hit by a second. Hundreds of thousands of people died and Japan eventually surrendered. But why did America decide to use the bombs, given that Japan was already expected to lose the war? And how did Times readers debate the ethics of this decision in the pages of the newspaper?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guests:

• Jack Blackburn, History Correspondent, The Times.
• Tom Whipple, Science Editor, The Times.

Host: Luke Jones.

Producer: Olivia Case.

Clips: YouTube / Harry S Truman Library, YouTube / The Atlantic / Castle Films, YouTube / Huntley Film Archives, YouTube / US National Archives.

Photo: Getty Images.

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