General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Every year, I see the same thing re Hiroshima and Nagasaki [View all]Whiskeytide
(4,459 posts)... You're right. I didn't say the US was without hypocrisy or inconsistency. But British imperialism was more about acquiring resources and "making the world British". Atrocities were committed by British troops if I recall my history, but nothing on the scale of that inflicted by the Japanese. It was a different culture in play.
But that still begs the question. Regardless of the policies leading up to the war - which we can certainly debate, second guess and criticize in hindsight - Japan attacked us and started the shooting war. It had to be finished one way or another, and at a cost of many lives. Truman chose to let that be Japanese lives rather than US Marines, Airman and Seaman. I cannot say he made the wrong choice among the shitty choices he had.