There is no way they would have gotten so entertainingly weird if they hadn't been nuked.
Posted on 08/05/2012 1:27:24 PM PDT by Retain Mike
As a byproduct of studying WW II history in retirement, I annually rework the above narrative. Below is a partial biography of the sources I used. The recently published book Hell to Pay by D. M. Giangreco is especially valuable. I was able to find confirmation of so many my other sources in his book. About 40% of the book is bibliography, appendices, and notes. The sound bites that generate popular attention are baseless, and if you are interested there is much opportunity for refuting these comfortable fictions.
Hell to pay, D. M. Giangreco
The Atomic Bomb and the End of WW II, The National Security Archive
Japanese Biomedical Experimentation During the WW II Era, Sheldon H. Harris, PhD
Japan’s Imperial Conspiracy, David Bergamni
Target Tokio: The Story of the Sorge Spy Ring, Gordon Prange
Truman might the right call, it shouldn’t even be open to question. Upwards of 1 million US casualties alone to cover the butts of the Japanese aggressors? No thanks. God bless Truman, the last decent Democrat.
Too bad we couldn’t drop them on December 8, 1941.
When Japan surrendered and it was made known that President Truman made the decision to use these new weapons, my dad was a lifelong admirer of Harry Truman.
Sometime during the late 70’s or early 80’s, I was taking my dad to a baseball Cardinals night game for his birthday. He did indeed love the Cardinals, but felt he couldn't afford tickets, primarily as a result of being raised during the depression.
I was parked away from the park and when we were waiting for the light at Market and Tucker in St. Louis, a young kid asked us if we were registered voters and we said yes. At this point, the kid asked if we'd sign a petition, which demanded the Congress and the U.S. government apologize to the Japanese government and people.
It's interesting to note, that prior to this event, you could always tell how mad dad was by the number of veins pulsating in his neck. The most I had seen was two. Well, dear old dad, went from zero to three in about 0.5 seconds, grabbed the clipboard and ripped the petitions to shreds.
The kid was obviously terrified and all I could say was, “Mud Marine in the Pacific. No sense of rumor.”
In retrospect I want to say, “Thanks, Dad, and thanks to every man and woman who served their country in such a gallant manner.”
When Japan surrendered and it was made known that President Truman made the decision to use these new weapons, my dad was a lifelong admirer of Harry Truman.
Sometime during the late 70’s or early 80’s, I was taking my dad to a baseball Cardinals night game for his birthday. He did indeed love the Cardinals, but felt he couldn't afford tickets, primarily as a result of being raised during the depression.
I was parked away from the park and when we were waiting for the light at Market and Tucker in St. Louis, a young kid asked us if we were registered voters and we said yes. At this point, the kid asked if we'd sign a petition, which demanded the Congress and the U.S. government apologize to the Japanese government and people.
It's interesting to note, that prior to this event, you could always tell how mad dad was by the number of veins pulsating in his neck. The most I had seen was two. Well, dear old dad, went from zero to three in about 0.5 seconds, grabbed the clipboard and ripped the petitions to shreds.
The kid was obviously terrified and all I could say was, “Mud Marine in the Pacific. No sense of rumor.”
In retrospect I want to say, “Thanks, Dad, and thanks to every man and woman who served their country in such a gallant manner.”
“Dropping Atomic Bombs on Japan was Unavoidable” I think a better title would be “Dropping Atomic Bombs on Japan was The Best CHOICE”.
Dropping The Bomb was avoidable and let us not try to wish away the fact that we made a deliberate decision to indiscriminately kill the people of Japan. Not having good choices did not mean we were without choices.
I will never question the decision that was made and will defend it to anyone who questions it. I pray that our future leaders will have the same clarity as they did then should we be faced with similar circumstances today.
I would add: “Downfall” by Richard B. Frank, to that list.
The bloodbath would have made the Pacific War, up to that point, pale by comparison. The only sane decision for the Japanese would have been to surrender after the first conventional landings, once the Allies showed their resolve. If the militant faction held sway and fought to the last man, so to speak,......complete carnage. Nothing on the Eastern Front would have equaled it.
My uncle was on Okinawa with the 6th MARDIV. He said that you could “feel” the collective sigh of relief when the announcement of surrender was made. They knew they would live now.
To the leftists, especially the academics, who continue to berate the US over that decision I say: That decision actually saved Japan, as a nation. The civilian casualties, should the assault go full term to conclusion, would have been many times higher than the IJA casualties. To a man and woman, every Japanese National that I ever discussed this subject with, agreed completely. The decision was sound and correct.
It is one of the absurdities of modern Political Leftism. They want to argue that it was some how immoral to use the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombs. That we could of “Besieged” the Japanese.
That utter nonsense. The infrastructure of the Japanese islands was breaking down. Japan could not feed it self and rely ed on food imports. Instead of killing Japanese Civilians in the tens of thousands. The Leftist “Siege” would of killing millions from disease, starvation and malnutrition. EVEN then there is NO indication that would of broke the Japanese will. Japanese soldiers hung on various pacific islands for decades after WW 2 ended. Even after the bombs dropped die hard militarists tried to stop the Emperor from surrendering.
Then their is the question. What response would the Japanese been to an invasion and occupation. The Left screams about the Iraqis “Insurgency” what do you suppose a Japanese Insurgency would of done? Also, who knows if the Japanese would of survived as a people? The Civilian and Military casualties on Siapan and Okinawa were horrific. Give the intensifying tempo of suicide attacks,the fire power brought down on the Japanese Home Island prior to and during an Invasion would of killed tens of thousands if not millions of civilians as well as military forces
My father was scheduled to be a landing craft driver in the invasion of Japan. There is better than a fair chance that he would have been killed.
I got to meet and thank General Chuck Sweeney who flew "Bock's Car" which dropped the second atomic bomb.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
lets forget about the deaths that were avoided when there was no direct assault of ground troops on the Jap main island by America and the allies...think of the people; POWS, innocent civilians, Korean comfort woman, who were saved from death by the dropping of these bombs- people who were being worked to death in slave labor at POW camps around east Asia (McDonnell and others), people being worked to death in places such as the Siam-Burma railway never mind the innocent people who were being tortured and killed by the Japs for amusement...
the 100’s of 1000’s of people basically condemned to death by the Japs is what people forget and that alone was worth the value of dropping the bombs...
The bomb saved lives (period) That war would have gone on for another 10 years at least. There were Japanese still fighting in Guam years later still trying to jump off a cliff with hand grenades kill people at the base.
These people don’t realize that the emperor of Japan was God on earth. These people would do anything for their God.
Think Jim Jones with 100+M followers.
War is requires the ultimate cruelty and cannot be sanitized or made humane if one seeks to win. The most humane thing one can do is to end the war quickly as possible with the means at hand.
What is the difference if the enemy dies by bullets, (nuclear) bombs or fire? The object of war is to impose one’s will upon the enemy and make their lives so insufferable as to break their will to continue further resistance.
Additionally, it should be added that a POW taken at the fall of the Philippines and a survivor of the death march stated flatly that, should the Allies have invaded, all, ALL...the POW’s would have been murdered.
Nobody discounts the Burma prison camps, the Chinese plight, the forced labor or the civilian deaths. Unlike Nazi Germany, most of that was a known before the end of the war. It was the utter and complete brutality that was underestimated.
The Leftist “Siege” would of killing millions from disease, starvation and malnutrition. EVEN then there is NO indication that would of broke the Japanese will
Yes. This is where the leftist argument breaks down completely. They had essentially been besieged since prior to the Okinawa campaign. They were starving. The hardcore Nationalists would have staged a coup, and tried to, if the political will to continue would have been subverted by the “peace faction.”
If we had to invade Japan, the Soviets would have gotten involved as well, and claimed half of Japan, they already got Sakhalin as it was.
Then Japan would have been divided, just like Korea and Germany. And who knows if you would have had another civil war on our hands, just like with Korea.
Not to mention once the Communists seized power in China, they certainly would have staked their claim as well.
Even after the bombs were dropped, there were fanatics who attempted to kill Hirohito before he could make his fateful broadcast. If that happened, all bets were off.
Dropping the relatively small nuclear weapons was the right choice.
It saved our boys...it saved their boys as well..and many civilians on their side.
I have a terrible premonition that very soon Israel will be forced to use nuclear weapons. It will begin with small neutron weapons but may escalate from there.
The whole world will condemn them, but they have the same right and obligation to protect their people as we did in 1945.
Wars cannot end unless you utterly defeat the enemy, it is cruel to both parties to continue on endlessly.
There is no way they would have gotten so entertainingly weird if they hadn't been nuked.
Even after the bombs were dropped, there were fanatics who attempted to kill Hirohito before he could make his fateful broadcast. If that happened, all bets were off.
Exactly.
Wars cannot end unless you utterly defeat the enemy, it is cruel to both parties to continue on endlessly.
Just another truism that the left cannot understand.
At. All.
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