@gatech.UUCP (08/16/85)
The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had nothing to do with the Japanese.
The Japanese were ready to surrender almost unconditionally. They only
asked to be able to retain their emperor. We said no we wanted complete
surrender we dropped the bombs and killed 200,000 people and got their
unconditional surrender. They then got to keep their emperor (thanks to
General MacArthur who saw it as a way of keeping peace) why then did we
kill 200,000 people. It was to show the Soviet Union just what kind of
power we had. Whatever the Japanese did during the war does not excuse this.
Two wrongs never create a right.
I though do not feel the real question is wether we should have dropped
the bomb or not. The question is how do we prevent it from every happening
agian. MAny may say it can't but we have come close before. A few examples
MacArthur in Korea wanted to drop them on China.
John Kennedy during the Cuban Missle Crisis.
Richard Nixon during the Vietnam Conflict (remeber it wasn't a war).
This is the bigger of the problems. We can argue all we want about something
that all ready happened but that won't change it. Hopefully though we can
work towards stopping it from ever happening again. How we can change it
I am not sure I do not believe in unilaterial disarmament or anything like
that but we should try to bring pressure upon governments to effect a change.
If we don't maybe next time when they get close to pushing that little red
button they actually will.
Brian Mahoney
"these opinions are right but
it doesn't make them true"csanders@ucbvax.ARPA (Craig S. Anderson) (08/17/85)
In article <3697@decwrl.UUCP> writes: >The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had nothing to do with the Japanese. >The Japanese were ready to surrender almost unconditionally. They only >asked to be able to retain their emperor. We said no we wanted complete >surrender... The Japanese were NOT ready to surrender at all. One faction in the Japanese War Cabinet did want surrender, but the military leaders overruled them. Even after the bombs were dropped, it took the emperor's intervention to overrule Tojo and his faction. The 'uncoditional surrender' was by mutual agreement of the Allies at Potsdam and Yalta. Stalin wanted assurances that Great Britain and the US would not conclude a separate peace with Hitler, so all three agreed that all Axis nations must surrender unconditionally. > > I though do not feel the real question is wether we should have dropped >the bomb or not. The question is how do we prevent it from every happening >agian. MAny may say it can't but we have come close before. A few examples > > MacArthur in Korea wanted to drop them on China. MacArthur got fired for this by Truman (same guy who ordered H and N) > > Brian Mahoney Craig Anderson csanders@ucbvax.Berkely.EDU (ARPA)