Use the excerpt to answer the question. “Okinawa and Iwo Jima . . . had rattled the President and joint chiefs of staff. They could see how costly it would be to invade the mainland. Truman knew [they] would lose planes and ships and men—and all the Japanese. The enemy leaders had said they would all die fighting. The island would just be a charred cinder. That did push the decision.” —Joseph Wheelan Bloody Okinawa: The Last Great Battle of World War II, 2021 What decision made by President Truman after the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa does Wheelan describe in this passage? Responses withdrawing U.S. forces from Okinawa and Iwo Jima after suffering heavy losses withdrawing U.S. forces from Okinawa and Iwo Jima after suffering heavy losses - no response given continuing the island-hopping strategy to reach the Japanese homeland continuing the island-hopping strategy to reach the Japanese homeland - no response given cancelling an amphibious invasion in Japan in favor of atomic warfare cancelling an amphibious invasion in Japan in favor of atomic warfare - no response given abandoning the Manhattan Project in favor of Operation Downfall

Answer 1

The decision made by President Truman after the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa described in the passage is the cancelling an amphibious invasion in Japan in favor of atomic warfare. The excerpt indicates that the costly nature of invading the Japanese mainland, as highlighted by the battles, influenced Truman's decision-making process, leading him to consider using atomic weapons instead.