Truman left office with low approval ratings.However today historians rate him as one of the best presidents of the USA.
Bangalore
Should America Apologize For Hiroshima?
by Bangalore 39 Replies latest jw friends
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Wasanelder Once
Remember that the winners write the history. The attacks were not necessary:
"Navy Secretary James Forrestal termed the intercepted messages "real evidence of a Japanese desire to get out of the war." "With the interception of these messages," notes historian Alperovitz (p. 177), "there could no longer be any real doubt as to the Japanese intentions; the maneuvers were overt and explicit and, most of all, official acts. Koichi Kido, Japan's Lord Privy Seal and a close advisor to the Emperor, later affirmed: "Our decision to seek a way out of this war, was made in early June before any atomic bomb had been dropped and Russia had not entered the war. It was already our decision."
In spite of this, on July 26 the leaders of the United States and Britain issued the Potsdam declaration, which included this grim ultimatum: "We call upon the government of Japan to proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces and to provide proper and adequate assurance of good faith in such action. The alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction."
Commenting on this draconian either-or proclamation, British historian J.F.C. Fuller wrote: "Not a word was said about the Emperor, because it would be unacceptable to the propaganda-fed American masses." (A Military History of the Western World [1987], p. 675.)
America's leaders understood Japan's desperate position: the Japanese were willing to end the war on any terms, as long as the Emperor was not molested. If the US leadership had not insisted on unconditional surrender -- that is, if they had made clear a willingness to permit the Emperor to remain in place -- the Japanese very likely would have surrendered immediately, thus saving many thousands of lives.
The sad irony is that, as it actually turned out, the American leaders decided anyway to retain the Emperor as a symbol of authority and continuity. They realized, correctly, that Hirohito was useful as a figurehead prop for their own occupation authority in postwar Japan."
Read about the two B29 bombings of Tokyo killing 100,000 people. They were a beaten people.
No, not necessary. Apologize? That's like a great white shark apologizing for feeding on a scuba diver. It is the nature of war and scientists to test their weapons on civilians.
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thetrueone
No if they hadn't dropped the bomb, the war would have continued with conventional warfare killing more Allied solders
in the process and prolonging the war itself.
It became apparent to the US military and the White House how much the Japanese would fight for their Emperor, even to commit acts of suicide.
Adding to the fact that fighting a war so far away from the homeland is very difficult.
The sad and unfortunate part of the end of the war is that the Emperor wasn't killed and his leading military brass,
the individuals who perpetrated the war in the first place lived on.
America has nothing to apologize for but Japanese certainly do, considering what they did in invading China and taking over
other countries in the east. Should the US apologize to Germany for their involvement in the other half of the world war 2...hardly.
As I say its sad and unfortunate the those citizens in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and to pay for the criminal acts of their
governing Emperor and his supporting military arrangement. World war 2 is a lesson for all humanity that will not be forgotten
in mankind's history and that is no country should invade and take over another just to simply steal the valuable resources away
from another designated country.
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james_woods
In spite of this, on July 26 the leaders of the United States and Britain issued the Potsdam declaration, which included this grim ultimatum: "We call upon the government of Japan to proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces and to provide proper and adequate assurance of good faith in such action. The alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction."
Commenting on this draconian either-or proclamation, British historian J.F.C. Fuller wrote: "Not a word was said about the Emperor, because it would be unacceptable to the propaganda-fed American masses." (A Military History of the Western World [1987], p. 675.)
You are suggesting that if we had just made nicey-nicey and assured Japan that the Emporer could remain - they would have surrendered???
I strongly doubt it - they were demonstratedly suicidal. But to further the argument for such a thing -
You know what? I would hazard a guess that this approach might have worked in Germany if we assured them that everything would be all right and that Hitler could have remained as Fuhrer...the hard part would have been getting the Russians to go along with it.
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undercover
I've read things that went both ways... The emperor (and his military advisors) were going to go down with the island... and that they were looking for a way out.
I've also read that this was more than about crippling Japan and causing them to surrender unconditionally - it was also sending a message to the USSR that 'we' had developed a working bomb and weren't afraid to use it. Allies during WWII but it waw already sure that after the war there was going to be issues.
Leaving aside all the politics though, when forced into a war such as WWII and victory is in sight, you level the enemy until he surrenders. War/military action should be the last straw but when committed to, leave nothing on the table. Fight to win and use all means to come to as quick a victory as possible. A lesson unlearned in subsequent wars...
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Gregor
As undercover points out, wars, such as Korea and Vietnam, where politicians tried to 'finesse' their prosecution have been a horrible waste of blood and treasure with no objectives realized.
The Afghan war is going to continue to spill over into Pakistan. N Korea is spoiling for trouble. Both nations have the "bomb" in quantity.
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Nathan Natas
Has Japan apologized for attacking Pearl Harbor or their atrocities in asia (see: The Rape of Nanking)?
They wanted a war, they got one. You're welcome.
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zeroday*
I believe it was Japan that bombed the US first we bombed them last end of story...If the bomb was not used a large invasion force would have been needed to invade Japan and the Japanese had demonstrated that they were fully prepared to fight to the last man and woman. The bomb saved MILLIONS of lives by ending that war early...It was to their god emperior that the Japanese were willing to all die for...
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james_woods
War/military action should be the last straw but when committed to, leave nothing on the table. Fight to win and use all means to come to as quick a victory as possible. A lesson unlearned in subsequent wars...
TWO lessons unlearned - especially the first one - "the last straw".
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BurnTheShips
As undercover points out, wars, such as Korea and Vietnam, where politicians tried to 'finesse' their prosecution have been a horrible waste of blood and treasure with no objectives realized.
Patton was all for keeping on the eastward push after finishing off Nazi Germany. Imagine what the 2nd half of the 20th century without a Cold War would have been like. Eastern Europe would not have been kept behind an iron curtain. Soviet exportation would not have occurred in Korea, China, or Vietnam....
BTS