As the saying goes, the victors write the history books...Thank goodness for modern society, otherwise the a lot of the real story would have disappeared. I do not disagree that Japan did a lot of terrible things, but no country deserves to have a nuclear bomb dropped on civilian targets. The majority of the deaths were innocent civilians. Many Japanese who were discontent with the war, were not allowed to speak for fear of death. Estimates reach as many as 200,000 deaths due to the bombings.
I see, so the solution to ending any war sooner is to drop atomic bombs on civilian targets? The United States knew nothing about Japan during WWII, and refuse to acknowledge anything because of ,well...American culture...sometimes I call it American stupidity but that's besides the point.
Yes, sooner, thus saving more lives, on both sides.
more..
You are welcome to read Robert P. Newman's "Truman and the Hiroshima Cult" where he provides a detailed analysis which concludes that more people (Including both allied and Japanese soldiers killed in battle, Japanese civilians killed in conventional bombings and due to food shortages, and POWs tortured by the Japanese) would have died EVERY SINGLE MONTH in 1945 than the combined total killed by the two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Truman and the Hiroshima Cult Rhetoric & Public Affairs: Amazon.co.uk: Robert P. Newman: Books
Truman and the Hiroshima Cult (Rhetoric & Public Affairs) [Hardcover]
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I've been to Hiroshima on several occasions, talked to the people there. I also speak Japanese, study their culture, and talk to Japanese people everyday. I've also lived there and do business there as well. In fact I have a business that revolves around them. Books by a foreign eye cannot compared to the people who lived it. Statistics and future forecasts don't compare to what happened. There is no human being that has the right to kill another, especially hundreds of thousands of people.
and people killed others left and right. The only question is what would have ended the killing sooner. Apparently you prefer for the war to have ed another few months, and kill MORE people.
I admit there are no simple answers, but the United States chose a simple answer, they chose mass genocide to stop a war. Almost 10s of thousands of people were killed instantly. The Japanese military did horrendous things before and during the war, there is no question; however, their innocent civilians paid the ultimate price for crimes they did not commit. Yes it is a war, a tragedy within itself.
The fact that the bomb was dropped right in the middle of the civilian population is the horrendous act I'm referring to. Perhaps if the bombs were dropped on strategic military targets that would have been an entirely different story. It's war as you said. We are talking about dropping right in the middle of the city. I went to the drop site, where there is a peace memorial now. It's in the middle of the damn city for christ sake.
Perhaps the same effect could have been achieved by dropping the bomb on some other target, more clearly identified as a military one (both Hiroshima and Nagasaki had significant military assets in them or nearby - seaports, army HQ). But the Japanese did not surrender even after the first bomb - so perhaps large scale civilian casualties was a must.
The Japanese have a cut throat culture (sometimes literally), so it would have taken A LOT to make them surrender. That is because of they type of people they are having a warrior, ie samurai, culture. A lot of them would have committed suicide before surrendering. The Military forced the Japanese to carry suicide pills in case of capture.
The bombings just reflect the lack of tactics during that era. Today most likely more powerful yet less damaging tactics would have been used.
There are many things that are "only" in America. Well add this to the list... THe United States is the only country to ever utilize in a war a weapon of mass destruction. Add to that it was on a civilian populus.
Ok Mr. Semantics. The only country to ever use a Nuclear weapons of Mass destruction, that being in this case Atomic bombs on a civilian population smack right in the middle of the city.
I admit there are no simple answers, but the United States chose a simple answer, they chose mass genocide to stop a war. Almost 10s of thousands of people were killed instantly. The Japanese military did horrendous things before and during the war, there is no question; however, their innocent civilians paid the ultimate price for crimes they did not commit. Yes it is a war, a tragedy within itself.
Truman and the Hiroshima Cult Rhetoric & Public Affairs: Amazon.co.uk: Robert P. Newman: Books
Truman and the Hiroshima Cult (Rhetoric & Public Affairs) [Hardcover]
