Question

this passage comes from the memoirs of admiral william leahy, one of president trumans top advisers. use the highlighting tool to identify text that shows admiral leahys 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.\
which phrase from the passage gives admiral leahys opinion of the atomic bomb itself?
○ \the japanese were already defeated\
○ \in being the first to use it\
○ \barbarous weapon\
○ \basis of my belief\

Explanation:

To determine Admiral Leahy's opinion of the atomic bomb itself, we analyze each option:

• "the Japanese were already defeated" refers to Japan's status, not the bomb.
• "in being the first to use it" refers to the act of using it first, not the bomb's nature.
• "barbarous weapon" describes the atomic bomb directly, showing his negative opinion of the bomb itself.
• "basis of my belief" refers to the foundation of his thoughts, not the bomb.

Answer:

C. "barbarous weapon"