What do people make of the reasoning behind the attacks. Then America President Harry S Truman said he chose to bmb Japan to stop the loss of more American soldiers as they had lost more than 200,000 soldiers fighting against Japan and with the war not looking like ending any time soon, he took the decision to force Japan to surrender by dropping the atomic bmb and killing more than 100,000 Japanese people.
16 hours after the bmb, Truman said “Sixteen hours ago an American airplane dropped one bmb on Hiroshima and destroyed its usefulness to the enemy. …. If they do not now accept our terms they may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth."
It took another Atomic bmbing on Nagasaki one week later by America to force Japan to surrender.
I think Truman's decision to bmb Japan was not right. I can commend him trying to protect his people and he may well have saved a lot of American lives had he not dropped the bmb. But on the other hand the decision to bmb all them innocent people and the devestating aftermath of it is a terrible sin to bear, and I'm sure one he lived for for the rest of his life.
With the advancement of nuclear weapons and the likes of America, Korea and Russia all possessing them, it will be a matter of time before another one is dropped imo.
(I had to write bmb without the o because it wouldn't let me post the srticle)
Hiroshima
posted on 21/4/19
comment by Boris 'Taffy' Gibson (U5901)
posted 3 minutes ago
It was more about how the Golden Triangle worked and the conditions the slaves lived and worked.
It wasn't particulary judgemental, yet again it was aimed at a class of 10 year olds.
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Fair enough, my comment wasn’t meant as a dig, apologies if that’s how it came across.
posted on 21/4/19
No offence taken, kids should be taught about how Britain helped bring down the slave trade.
posted on 21/4/19
comment by (U21947)
posted 1 hour, 55 minutes ago
comment by The Lambeau Leap (U21050)
posted 1 hour, 26 minutes ago
In retrospect, I wish they’d dropped it on an unpopulated island or part of the peninsula wishing view of Tokyo in a sort of “surrender or the next one’s going on your head” statement.
That aside, dropping the bomb probably saved the world from further, more devastating conflict between Russia and the West.
It’s also hard to feel any sympathy for the Japanese Empire of the 1920s-40s. They had it coming,
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should iraq, syria and libya nuclear bomb new york and la because america has it coming
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Had a feeling you were a ISIS sympathizer
posted on 21/4/19
comment by manusince52 (U9692)
posted 9 hours, 24 minutes ago
Kung Fu, I will try to find, but it won't be today or soon, grand chidren arriving I they take pride of place.
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Just seen this
posted on 22/4/19
My father was part of the ongoing work in Hiroshima in '47 with the Navy and he always said how horrific it was.
posted on 22/4/19
Comment Deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 22/4/19
It was revenge for pearl harblur plain and simple.
posted on 22/4/19
comment by (U21947)
posted 1 day ago
they should teach about the crimes of winston churcill as well, and also war crimes in countries like chile, cambodia and how sanctions killed half a million iraqi children
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They’re not going to teach kids about that, you psychopath.
Primary educations doesn’t and shouldn’t teach about Empire. Secondary level touches on it, albeit there’s a lot of history to cover. 1066, The War of the Roses, The English Civil War, The industrial revolution and WWI and WWII are all covered by secondary education and are all as equally relevant to how our country has been shaped. Anyone who disagrees is just ignorant of our history,
Ultimately, secondary education can not possibly cover everything.
posted on 22/4/19
comment by Dave NotSo (U11711)
posted 8 hours, 49 minutes ago
I lived in Osaka for a while. I've been to Nagasaki and a couple of trips to Hiroshima.
I knew a guy that has sadly passed away now, who was in utero when Hiroshima happened. His mum went out of the city to visit friends and so she was spared by random chance. Both him and his mum had lost pretty much everyone, they both had cancers throughout their lives. My ex and I spent a few days with him in 2007 before he died going around Hiroshima, the Atomic Dome, places where shadows were still evident away from some of the main tourist areas. Hearing him talk about forgiveness and desire for peace just made me cry. It made me so angry to see and hear about such intense devastation and loss, yet hearing it from a guy - whose entire life has been adversely affected - speak only of desire for a better world was incredible. He was a much better human than I am.
I had a similar experience back in Osaka. There was a gym in Shinsaibashi that I used to go to. It had an indoor pool that I used to frequent in winter. I got to know an old guy who had been a small child in the 40s. He'd seen most of the city razed to the ground and lost all his family. He still bore massive facial and body scars from wounds and fires. After a few months I asked him how he felt about Americans and the West in general, why he befriended me. Again, I was just shocked at his response. He told me that when American soldiers came in the late 40s, people probably like Cinci's dad, it was the first time in his decade-long life that he wasn't hungry. He'd never known feeling full.
He didn't hate anyone all he wanted to do was share his life and experiences with younger generations from East and West.
There's a great line in one of Jim Jefferies' Netflix specials when referring to America and ISIS. He says hate doesn't beat hate, it just breeds more hate. When I saw this special I immediately thought of these two guys. They were the perfect embodiment of the sentiment.
The country wasn't all like this, although most of my experiences were wonderful full of amazing people. I became very close with the mother of a woman I knew. She opened up a lot about her dad and an insight into the Japanese collective psyche. He was a young fighter pilot and had just finished training in 45. The war finished before he got deployed. She talked about how much shame he felt his whole life, about how he didn't fulfil his duty to his country which would have meant death in combat, likely kamikaze. Keiko and her brother never would have been born if the Japanese wouldn't have surrendered when they did as her dad would not have come back.
To her, Hiroshima meant her dad lived and that she existed. Depending on which historian you read, the Japanese may or may not have surrendered so soon after the bombs if they hadn't been dropped, but seeing a 55 year old woman talk about how how her father's whole life had been wracked by guilt and shame, who struggled to reconcile the wonderful life and family he had been subsequently blessed with against the inability to serve his country was confounding.
I hate what happened to so many civilians in Japan, but I can understand how they may have saved many, many thousands more lives.
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Great post.
My dad actually lived with Japanese families for spells whilst there(not just Hiroshima) over a four year period so they obviously were welcoming.
posted on 12/6/19
Sorry for butting in on this so late but never saw it when posted, but, on the subject of the Bomb and that tragic act!..
"They were supposed to bomb Kyoto but spared it for its beauty and heritage, they bombed Hiroshima instead."
Weather or for whatever reason they changed their target, the Bomb was originally meant for Berlin, if the Germans hadn't have given in when they did the Bomb would have been dropped 2 days later!..
That's how close it came to Europe!..
Where Japan has to get on with things and still try and sort things out imagine how Europe would now be with a Radiated Berlin so close to so many Lands!..