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In reply to the discussion: Hiroshima - quit lying to yourselves [View all]branford
(4,462 posts)I do not give much credit to the self-righteous ramblings of a historical armchair general who has no responsibility for the actual lives of real people and the benefit of 20/20 hindsight.
The bombings of cities and civilian targets by all sides during the war were brutal, particularly the fire-bombings over cities like London, Dresden Tokyo. These bombing resulted in a far greater number of deaths, injuries and ruined lives than Hiroshima and Nagaski combined. The atomic bombs were not magical. We simply developed a superior weapon, and ultimately utilized it in a manner consistent with the conduct of all sides during the war, for the express purpose of very quickly ending the war and saving American and allied lives (as well as countess more Japanese lives than would have been lost in the inevitable invasion).
Yes, by today's standards, these bombing would be considered war crimes. However, it is far easy to look back with our comfortable lives and substantially evolved military rules and norms and forget the brutality of WWII - the tens of millions of lives lost, the widespread brutality of the Axis, including genocidal policies of Hitler and the Japanese, the treatment of our POWs in Asia and the lives and treasure that would have been lost in any conventional campaign to defeat the Japanese. The threat of Stalin and his capture of additional territory, and the treatment of those who would fall under his dictatorship, was also a valid military and political consideration.
By God, I hope no future president ever has to consider the factors and repercussions that confronted Truman. Nevertheless, his decision was correct.