Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Anti-War Hiroshima A-Bomb Book Caught With Multiple Fictions
Publius Forum ^ | 03/02/10 | Warner Todd Huston

Posted on 03/02/2010 10:03:59 AM PST by Mobile Vulgus

When it debuted the left instantly hailed it as an anti-war masterpiece. The book "The Last Train from Hiroshima," a popular history of the WWII A-Bomb drops on Japan, quickly accumulated much acclaim. This was "gleaming" wartime history according to The New York Times. It was so poignant and solemn that moviemaker James Camereon was said to be considering making a movie based on the book. It wasn't long, though, before major questions about the veracity of the tale were raised.

The author of the book, Charles Pellegrino, used the experiences of at least three participants in the bombings at important junctures in the book. He reported the experiences of one of the U.S. airmen that was aboard the Enola Gay as well as two European Jesuit priests that were living in Hiroshima during the bombing.

But now comes the admission from the author that two of these three people don't even exist, and a third lied about his service on the Enloa Gay casting doubt on Pellegrino's whole endeavor...

Read the rest at Publiusforum.com...


TOPICS: Books/Literature; Local News; Politics
KEYWORDS: charlespellegrino; hiroshima; newyorktimes; pellegrino; revisionism; smithsonian; whatuttercrap; wwii
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-64 next last
To: I still care
He was unable to check it out because he was doing forced labor in a Japanese mine at the time.

What - no day passes available?

41 posted on 03/02/2010 7:46:55 PM PST by Last Dakotan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: xone
usmilitary.about.com
42 posted on 03/02/2010 7:49:36 PM PST by xone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: Mobile Vulgus

“Fake but accurate.” It’s a liberal way of life.


43 posted on 03/02/2010 7:50:50 PM PST by behzinlea
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Mobile Vulgus

More ‘just war’ bs.


44 posted on 03/02/2010 8:03:04 PM PST by xone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies]

To: xone

More ‘just war’ bs.

.... curious, xone, could you elaborate what you mean? Are you saying no war is just or right?


45 posted on 03/02/2010 8:53:19 PM PST by Mobile Vulgus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 44 | View Replies]

To: Last Dakotan

After the bombing , a little later they just left the gates unguarded and everyone walked out. He is of the firm opinion that if there had been an invasion he and all his buddies would have been killed.

If not for Hiroshima, a lot of Americans would have died. And probably more Japanese than died even in the blast.


46 posted on 03/02/2010 11:02:02 PM PST by I still care (I believe in the universality of freedom -George Bush, asked if he regrets going to war.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

To: xone

You originally scoffed at the notion that murder could be committed during war. I was responding to that.

Who was a civilian in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? That’s a distinct question.


47 posted on 03/02/2010 11:09:35 PM PST by Arthur McGowan (In Edward Kennedy's America, federal funding of brothels is a right, not a privilege.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: Mobile Vulgus

Looks like I have more to add to my chapter in “48 Liberal Lies” on Hiroshima.


48 posted on 03/03/2010 5:16:23 AM PST by LS ("Castles made of sand, fall in the sea . . . eventually." (Hendrix))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Arthur McGowan
You originally scoffed at the notion that murder could be committed during war. I was responding to that.

Hardly, I was taking offense to your blanket breezy assertion that all the participants in the bombing of those targets and by extension any similar ones were and are guilty of 1st degree murder.

The attempt to lay guilt where none exists is typical of the left and so the rise of 'just war' theory only serves to minimize the resolve and maximize the angst of those serving today.

It is a cowardly exercise to engage in today, but those men and women in harm's way can at least be counseled. Your shameless attack on the military of WWII is frankly no different than John 'vietnam' Kerry's equating Viet Nam vets with Genghis Khan's horde.

Separating civilians from military objectives is the responsibility of the one who controls them. In this way the Japs were no different than Saddam.

49 posted on 03/03/2010 7:17:53 AM PST by xone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 47 | View Replies]

To: I still care
And probably more Japanese than died even in the blast.

A lot more Japanese.

50 posted on 03/03/2010 7:22:05 AM PST by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: SJSAMPLE
I thought the first German bombing of London was a complete mistake?

You mean like the bombings of Warsaw and Rotterdam were 'mistakes'?

51 posted on 03/03/2010 7:23:02 AM PST by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Mobile Vulgus
No, this is 'just war':

• A just war can only be waged as a last resort. All non-violent options must be exhausted before the use of force can be justified.

• A war is just only if it is waged by a legitimate authority. Even just causes cannot be served by actions taken by individuals or groups who do not constitute an authority sanctioned by whatever the society and outsiders to the society deem legitimate.

• A just war can only be fought to redress a wrong suffered. For example, self-defense against an armed attack is always considered to be a just cause (although the justice of the cause is not sufficient--see point #4). Further, a just war can only be fought with "right" intentions: the only permissible objective of a just war is to redress the injury.

• A war can only be just if it is fought with a reasonable chance of success. Deaths and injury incurred in a hopeless cause are not morally justifiable.

• The ultimate goal of a just war is to re-establish peace. More specifically, the peace established after the war must be preferable to the peace that would have prevailed if the war had not been fought.

• The violence used in the war must be proportional to the injury suffered. States are prohibited from using force not necessary to attain the limited objective of addressing the injury suffered.

• The weapons used in war must discriminate between combatants and non-combatants. Civilians are never permissible targets of war, and every effort must be taken to avoid killing civilians. The deaths of civilians are justified only if they are unavoidable victims of a deliberate attack on a military target.

Freerepublic

A strong proponent, the not lamented and now late Howard Zinn, re-writer of American history. Sound high and mighty fine; look at the last paragraph, no frag weapons. Why, because they are indiscriminate. This is pointy headed academics or worse.

52 posted on 03/03/2010 7:30:16 AM PST by xone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 45 | View Replies]

To: Gandalf_The_Gray
First time I've heard that although I understand that Hitler had a grudging respect for the British.

In the beginning, yes. He thought the British would be more scared of the Bolsheviks, and would be willing to make a deal with Hitler, where Hitler would have his colonies in the East, if it eradicated the Soviet threat, and he would stake no claims on any British colonies. Basically, England and Germany would rule the world together. Of course when he realized that British would not have it, that respect turned to anger. Ribbentrop, especially wound up being the biggest British hater of all, when earlier he was a great admirer.

53 posted on 03/03/2010 7:55:41 AM PST by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: xone

OK, so are you saying our participation in WWII was not just?


54 posted on 03/03/2010 10:12:28 AM PST by Mobile Vulgus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: xone

“Just War theory” has been around since Augustine, at the latest. It’s hardly a plot hatched by the Left.


55 posted on 03/03/2010 10:23:56 AM PST by Arthur McGowan (In Edward Kennedy's America, federal funding of brothels is a right, not a privilege.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]

To: Mobile Vulgus

Of course not, neither are the bomber crews guilty of murder.


56 posted on 03/03/2010 5:01:57 PM PST by xone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 54 | View Replies]

To: Arthur McGowan
Just War theory” has been around since Augustine, at the latest. It’s hardly a plot hatched by the Left.

It has been co-opted by the left, look at the upgrades to it. Lot of fragmentation weapons in Augustine's era? In the thread I referenced, the additional reading list is populated by lefties. Historical revisionism has always been a tool of the left. Sorry you fell for it and felt the need to blacken the names of men called to fight in the toughest life or death struggle in the 20th century. Well done.

57 posted on 03/03/2010 5:07:28 PM PST by xone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 55 | View Replies]

To: Arthur McGowan
BTW: It was mass murder. So were Tokyo, Dresden, etc., etc. It was terror-bombing, not military bombing.

No, it wasn't.

Tokyo, Dresden, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were all bombings of military targets as per international law at the time.

Anyone who tells you differently is peddling a lie.

58 posted on 03/03/2010 5:09:09 PM PST by Poe White Trash (Wake up!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: Arthur McGowan
Murder is always wrong, no matter how desirable some of its effects are.

Murder is always wrong, by defintion. However, you have not proven that the aerial bombings that we are discussing constitute murder.

On a related point, I'd argue on the basis of Scripture that telling a malicious lie is always wrong. Wouldn't you agree?

59 posted on 03/03/2010 5:14:35 PM PST by Poe White Trash (Wake up!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: Mobile Vulgus
the author made half of it up out of his butt

HALF

Yea the first half and the second half! ;-0

60 posted on 03/03/2010 5:20:10 PM PST by TWfromTEXAS (Life is the one choice that pro choicers will not support.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-64 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson