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Showing Original Post only (View all)The Real Reason We Bombed Japan [View all]
Like all Americans, I was taught that the U.S. dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in order to end WWII and save both American and Japanese lives.
But most of the top American military officials at the time said otherwise.
{He goes on to quote numerous high-ranking British as well as U.S. military officials, as well as historians and contemporary scientists, politicians, et al.}
* * * * *
The conventional wisdom that the atomic bomb saved a million lives is so widespread that most Americans havent paused to ponder something rather striking to anyone seriously concerned with the issue: Not only did most top U.S. military leaders think the bombings were unnecessary and unjustified, many were morally offended by what they regarded as the unnecessary destruction of Japanese cities and what were essentially noncombat populations. Moreover, they spoke about it quite openly and publicly.
But most of the top American military officials at the time said otherwise.
{He goes on to quote numerous high-ranking British as well as U.S. military officials, as well as historians and contemporary scientists, politicians, et al.}
* * * * *
The conventional wisdom that the atomic bomb saved a million lives is so widespread that most Americans havent paused to ponder something rather striking to anyone seriously concerned with the issue: Not only did most top U.S. military leaders think the bombings were unnecessary and unjustified, many were morally offended by what they regarded as the unnecessary destruction of Japanese cities and what were essentially noncombat populations. Moreover, they spoke about it quite openly and publicly.
The article is a great read and seems very well-researched. I'm deeply skeptical of war in general, but even I was shocked.
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Japan specifically targeted Chinese civilian populations in their carpet bombings of Chinese cities
Feeling the Bern
May 2016
#41
Anything to deflect responsibility of Japan's actions and throw it back on the USA
Feeling the Bern
May 2016
#136
Yes, sir. Anything you say, sir. Questions of perspective are OUT. OK..I get it. nt
Bigmack
Jun 2016
#143
My hatred? You mean the 20 years of research in Japan and China I have done?
Feeling the Bern
May 2016
#85
Your blather about the Cultural Revolution is nothing more than a diversionary tactic...
Marengo
May 2016
#120
Japan started their march to conquest in 1898 when they attacked China
Feeling the Bern
May 2016
#89
I was just using the description that my grandfather and his brother used
bearssoapbox
Jun 2016
#142
Even after Nagasaki, hardliners wanted to continue the war by staging a coup against the Emperor:
eppur_se_muova
May 2016
#121
Google "the rape of Nanking" to see what we were dealing with. The Japanese would have
Trust Buster
May 2016
#5
Not to mention also their vivisection experiments of Chinese civilians and POW's.
roamer65
May 2016
#7
Yes, in the Pacific islands the Japanese would capture foreign missionaries. In one instance
Trust Buster
May 2016
#9
I agree. Ask the 100's of thousands of Chinese and Filipino's about "non-combatant populations".
Trust Buster
May 2016
#10
300,000 men, women and children in Nanjing. 20,000 women raped in Nanjing
Feeling the Bern
May 2016
#42
If you haven't already read it, the most comprehensive history of Japanese atrocities during
Trust Buster
May 2016
#51
If you are writing a screenplay, I urge you to read "The Knights of Bushido". Go on Amazon
Trust Buster
May 2016
#59
Read it. Movie is already in preproduction. But most of my research was done in China since I live
Feeling the Bern
May 2016
#62
Once again you show your ignorance of history. It was not just about what they had done, it was
Trust Buster
May 2016
#22
They were horrible, no one is arguing that. But why choose civilian targets?
rhett o rick
May 2016
#15
What about the tens of thousands of allied POW's and civilians in slave labor camps across Japan
Trust Buster
May 2016
#25
If you have something to say, do so. I don't play the answer your pointed questions game.
rhett o rick
May 2016
#27
I did say so. What do you think would have happened to the tens of thousands of POW's and
Trust Buster
May 2016
#29
They would have either starved to death, died of disease or executed before Allied forces could
Trust Buster
May 2016
#93
Again--they were MILITARY targets, and the civilians in the area WERE warned in advance. nt
MADem
May 2016
#116
Have you ever heard of the battle of Iwo Jima and Okinawa? Do you know how many people were killed
still_one
May 2016
#16
I notice that the conservatives here all can rationalize why we dropped nuclear bombs on
rhett o rick
May 2016
#17
So what exactly is your point? I hope it isn't, "we did it because they did it."
rhett o rick
May 2016
#21
The point is our involvment in that war was initiated by that unprovoked attack.
still_one
May 2016
#73
I wonder if they would have felt the same way if they were one of the soldiers that would have been
still_one
May 2016
#64
They probably think that the Japanese would have given them flowers as liberators
dbackjon
May 2016
#100
Estimates were that the losses for invading the home islands would be 10-1 with one million American
Feeling the Bern
May 2016
#43
We knew that we had to convince the Emperior to surrender and not the military that
rhett o rick
May 2016
#19
No, we wanted to end the war quickly to save the tens of thousands of allied POW's and allied
Trust Buster
May 2016
#26
Does that make you feel better to think that? Rationalize away if you need to keep from facing
rhett o rick
May 2016
#28
Rationalization ? Saving the lives of tens of thousands of allied POW's and civilians imprisoned
Trust Buster
May 2016
#30
I had an uncle I never met who died on Okinawa. Those that like to hold a political "feel good"
Trust Buster
May 2016
#39
The idea that Truman was at all cavalier about the consequences of his decision is what
MADem
May 2016
#111
I suspect it had no small element of sending a message to Stalin, as well.
Warren DeMontague
May 2016
#38
Carpet bombing of Shanghai in 1933, Mukden Train incident of 1931 where they illegally seized
Feeling the Bern
May 2016
#40
I have no problem with the nuking that happened. It ended the war. When I hear this morally offended
Waldorf
May 2016
#47
And I'll let these images sink in and speak for me about the war Japan started
Feeling the Bern
May 2016
#76
Hopefully, war crimes trials and executions/prison terms for the guilty parties.
Feeling the Bern
May 2016
#80
Just to be clear, the military leaders did not have a problem.... WARNING, GRAPHIC
Adrahil
May 2016
#129