Were people against dropping the atomic bombs?

Answer 1

Do you mean before the fact? First off, very few people were aware of the existence of the atomic bombs. Second, of those who did know, most did not have first-hand knowledge of how powerful the bombs actually were. Third, because it was probably the best kept secret of the war, even less people got to discuss, much less debate the deployment of the bombs. There certainly no 'public' debate.

And finally, remember that the U.S. and its allies were at war with a nation that had proved it was capable and willing to fight to the very last man. The bombs notwithstanding, the allies were making plans for an all-out assault and invasion of Japan. Estimates of Allied losses in the planned invasion were as much as 100,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. By any standard, those projected losses were staggering.

When the atomic bombs were deployed to the West Pacific, the greatest fear was that the bombs would somehow fail. Our greatest hope was that they would hasten the end, an end that was already known. The Allies were going to win the war against Japan. The only real question was how much more allied blood would be spilt in the process.

Perhaps the only real debate centered around where to deploy the bombs for maximum effect and how to best safeguard the plans.