Why the U.S. drop the Bomb?

Discussions on WW2 in the Pacific and the Sino-Japanese War.
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col. klink
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#16

Post by col. klink » 30 Apr 2005, 07:00

It seems according the book I mentioned that the war was shortened. That hundreds of thousands of lives, both allied and Japanese were saved by thwe war being shortened. The destrucation and deaths caused by both weapons being used may have given the Emperor the reason to differ with the predominatly military controled government. The Emperor felt the war should conclude to prevent wider destruction of his land and his peole. In the days between the dropping of the seconf bomb and the speech that the Emperor made there plots by some factions of the military to take even further control of the government to continue the war. I guess when the subject comes up about possible US casualties in the event of both planned invasions of the Japanese homeland being executed it's not always considered that those casualties would not have been spread over the US's general population but would have been concentrated in specific areas of the population; healthy,young adult and almost adult males. And for the more race conscious people, in those days of a segregated US armed forces, the majority of those casualtuies would have been white healthy young males. A blockade of Japan may have slowly strangled Japan but Japan seemed quite prepared to sacrifice parts of their population (such as the old and the sick) considered incapable of helping in the defese of their homeland. If the invasions and the destruction and carnage that would have happened during them were the worst choice then the ways the bombs were used and the quick results obtained seem to have been close to being the best possible choice.

It's sort of frightening to think that in a few years or decades there will be no eyewitnesses to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The cities have been rebuilt and thrive to the point were the stories of the destruction seem incredible. When the witnesses are gone it might even seem unbelievable. And when that happens there will be some thinking of the unthinkable; that maybe using nuclear weapons isn't that bad after all.

JD
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#17

Post by JD » 30 Apr 2005, 11:35

col. klink wrote:It's sort of frightening to think that in a few years or decades there will be no eyewitnesses to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The cities have been rebuilt and thrive to the point were the stories of the destruction seem incredible. When the witnesses are gone it might even seem unbelievable. And when that happens there will be some thinking of the unthinkable; that maybe using nuclear weapons isn't that bad after all.
Don't worry about that. The events of August, 1945 are well documented and remembered in the centre of Hiroshima. The A-Bomb Dome as it is known remains a silent sentinel to the memory of the day: the hypocentre is well marked (at ground level) with a plaque: the T-Bridge, which was the aim point for the crew of Enola Gay, is still there and the Peace Park with the Museum some 500 metres from the T-Bridge has a plethora of memorials, reconstructions and displays, all well worth a visit. The whole idea was to maintain the memory long after the actual witnesses are gone. To anyone interested in modern Japanese history, I thoroughly recommend a visit.
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JD
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#18

Post by JD » 30 Apr 2005, 11:37

And one more. This vast area has a brother in Nagasaki.
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col. klink
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#19

Post by col. klink » 30 Apr 2005, 16:31

I know there is an exhibit for the 60th anniversary of the bombings. I saw an announcement a day or two ago that it is opening here in Chicago at the Chicago Peace Museum next week and runs through August 14. I hope that the exhibit points out the context in which the bombings took place and doesn't make it seem like some random acts of violence and terrorism or something. They were terrible events and actions but they did take place in the context of the most brutal war fought in the 20th (if not any) century.

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Michael Emrys
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#20

Post by Michael Emrys » 30 Apr 2005, 21:13

col. klink wrote:It's sort of frightening to think that in a few years or decades there will be no eyewitnesses to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The cities have been rebuilt and thrive to the point were the stories of the destruction seem incredible. When the witnesses are gone it might even seem unbelievable.
That would depend on how much effort they are willing to go to in finding evidence. A few years ago I picked up a book called Rain of Ruin that is jammed with photographs of both cities, some taken before and many afterwards that stunningly document the level of destruction. Most of these photos come from official US archives, and they just represent a selection. There are bound to be more. The text also includes many eyewitness accounts that are not lacking in impact either.
And when that happens there will be some thinking of the unthinkable; that maybe using nuclear weapons isn't that bad after all.
It is rather unsettling to note that that is apparently already in progress, both in our own government and elsewhere. One of the few hopeful signs is that India and Pakistan have agreed to discuss their mutual problems, so there is some chance that they, at least, may have come to their senses.

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