Never forget...............

[Dan Shapiro]

51113

[Vern Humphrey]

Believe me, I don't forget. Was talking to a young fellow this morning who is taking a college history class. The instructor polled the class, asking if we should have nuked Japan. The vote was a unanimous "Yes!"

[Allen]

I use to wonder why we didn't carpet bomb them with nukes. Japan deserved to be nonexistent. If we had done so there would probably have been no more wars by anyone.

I didn't find out till later in life that we only had the 2 bombs at the time.

To this day they still hold annual ceremonies in Hiroshima whining about the day THEY were bombed. I'll never consider Japan an ally.

[Vern Humphrey]

I use to wonder why we didn't carpet bomb them with nukes. Japan deserved to be nonexistent. If we had done so there would probably have been no more wars by anyone.

I didn't find out till later in life that we only had the 2 bombs at the time.

To this day they still hold annual ceremonies in Hiroshima whining about the day THEY were bombed. I'll never consider Japan an ally.

It actually worked out in their favor. They didn't have enough food and fuel to get through the winter of 1945-46. If they had delayed surrendering much longer, there wouldn't have been enough time to get food and fuel to them. There would have been a massive die-off that winter.

[Mark in Ottawa]

I use to wonder why we didn't carpet bomb them with nukes. Japan deserved to be nonexistent. If we had done so there would probably have been no more wars by anyone.

I didn't find out till later in life that we only had the 2 bombs at the time.

To this day they still hold annual ceremonies in Hiroshima whining about the day THEY were bombed. I'll never consider Japan an ally.

I was in Nagasaki a few years ago on an Asian cruise and visited the "Peace Park". Not only do they hold annual ceremonies, they seem to hold monthly ceremonies. One was going on the day that we visited and yes, they have a museum with a replica of the bomb and statements about how horrific that the Americans were for using it. They do not state that the Japanese military intended to execute hundreds of thousands of prisoners if the Allies attacked mainland Japan nor do they talk about their murder of millions of Chinese nor do they talk about the hundreds of thousands of civilians that they murdered as they were being pushed out of the Philippines. The use of the bomb was justified on several grounds, not least of which was the inevitable death in combat of thousands of Allied troops.

[Allen]

I was in Nagasaki a few years ago on an Asian cruise and visited the "Peace Park". Not only do they hold annual ceremonies, they seem to hold monthly ceremonies. One was going on the day that we visited and yes, they have a museum with a replica of the bomb and statements about how horrific that the Americans were for using it. They do not state that the Japanese military intended to execute hundreds of thousands of prisoners if the Allies attacked mainland Japan nor do they talk about their murder of millions of Chinese nor do they talk about the hundreds of thousands of civilians that they murdered as they were being pushed out of the Philippines. The use of the bomb was justified on several grounds, not least of which was the inevitable death in combat of thousands of Allied troops.

Perhaps the U.S. needs to support their events by bombing a city there every year at random (our choice). After all, we didn't start the war, we won the war, WE should have the choice in saying when it is over.

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It actually worked out in their favor. They didn't have enough food and fuel to get through the winter of 1945-46. If they had delayed surrendering much longer, there wouldn't have been enough time to get food and fuel to them. There would have been a massive die-off that winter.

If only we had known. Instead we assured they remain as a free country, keep their war mongerer leader and built their economy to what it is today.

[Vern Humphrey]

Perhaps the U.S. needs to support their events by bombing a city there every year at random (our choice). After all, we didn't start the war, we won the war, WE should have the choice in saying when it is over.

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If only we had known. Instead we assured they remain as a free country, keep their war mongerer leader and built their economy to what it is today.

Read "Twilight of the Gods -- the War in the Pacific 1944-45." This is a truly monumental study and shows clearly how the bomb was needed. Those who say it was wrong bleat "The Japanese was a-gona surrender!"

In a pig's eye! Even those members of the cabinet who favored surrender proposed:

1. Both sides stop fighting
2. Japan be allowed to keep all the territory she controlled at that time, including the Dutch East Indies [Indonesia] with all its oil resources and most of China.
3. The Japanese Army and Navy not be disbanded.
4. The Japanese government remain unchanged
5. The Japanese constitution remain unchanged
6. No enemy soldier set foot on Japanese soil.

In other words, they expected us to concede the war to them!!

[Allen]

I don't know why the term "justified" ever came up regarding the use of nuclear bombs.

More Japs were killed using conventional bombs than the 2 nukes that were dropped.

No bomb is suppose to be pleasant and rewarding.

If they had developed it first they would have gladly dropped it on us in our mainland. Germany was trying to accomplish this too as we all know. It was all a matter of the "bomb race" and we won. We spent dearly on them but saved countless lives, ours and theirs.

[blackhawknj]

Hirohito made the Jewel Voice broadcast because Japanese scientists convinced him that this was a weapon against which there was NO defense and it might result in the annihilation of the Japanese as a nation.
One of the ironies is that the first US-Japanese military cooperation came only five years late at the Inchon landings. The LSTs Mac Arthur needed had been sold to the Japanese as fishing vessels. "If anyone asks, you're Korean !"

[rayg]

I believe in real terms it was justified because in the end it did save countless more lives and destruction!

[Allen]

Commemorative coin. I have one somewhere. Should be part of a our normal currency.

[Vern Humphrey]

Commemorative coin. I have one somewhere. Should be part of a our normal currency.

Back in '95 we were going to issue a commemorative stamp, "The Atomic Bomb ends WWII." The Japanese threatened to issue a commemorative stamp, "Nuclear weapons are against international law." We backed down.

I would have had the Post Office go through the archives and make up a hundred stamps, "Japanese murder 200,000 people and rape 20,000 women in the Rape of Nanking." "Japanese starve Australian Prisoners of War." "Japanese kill 11,000,000 innocent Chinese with bizarre medical experiments." "Japanese kill and eat the hearts of downed American pilots."

I'd have 3'X3' made of each, put on stands, and put along the route from the front door of the White House to the Oval Office and called in the Japanese Ambassador.

[Allen]

I wonder if they think attacking navy shipyards/military bases is OK with international law?

[Major Tom]

I had relatives who fought in the Pacific theater. In their opinion, nothing was too bad for them (japs) to suffer! The only regret was that Hirohito wasn't brought to war crimes trial!

[Vern Humphrey]

I had relatives who fought in the Pacific theater. In their opinion, nothing was too bad for them (japs) to suffer! The only regret was that Hirohito wasn't brought to war crimes trial!

There is plenty of strategic justification for using the atomic bomb, but in the end the real justification is they damn well deserved it!