"Thank God for the Atom Bomb"

[Enzo Ferrari]

Full text of "The Smithsonian Institution management guidelines for the future : hearings before the Committee on Rules and Administration, United States Senate, One Hundred Fourth Congress, first session ... May 11 and 18, 1995"

To all people who "opposed" the bombing, late Mr. Sweeney already answer your questions.

[Mandala]

They want to remove Iran's nuclear weapons don't they?

They bombed Iraq's nuclear weapons production facilities didn't they?

They do also arm and supply India with crucial high tech weaponry to be used against Pak

They do also blockade funds to the Hamas, essentially drying up the aid for the people over there.

They have a pretty much hostile appraoch with everyone. Hostile enough to give lethal blows to them. I'd say it'd make our lives easier without them around.

Israel lives in a tough neighborhood. Too many Muslims have your attitude. If the Arabs had accepted the UN Partition of 1947 Israel would not have such "a pretty much hostile approach to everyone."

[Mandala]

What if the Middle Easterners don't want to give Israel a retaliatory option. Launch multiple bombs, get done with Israel, none of our countrymen died. Only Israelis, whats so bad about that?

The destruction of Israel is what is bad with that.

Ask a difficult question next time.

[Chogy]

That video is as good a 15 minute explanation for the bombings as I have ever heard - worthy of a book mark for future reference.

PJTV - Jon Stewart, War Criminals & The True Story of the Atomic Bombs - Bill Whittle

[Minskaya]

Directly after the war, the United States government conducted an official survey (fact-finding mission) regarding strategic bombing in the Pacific theater.

UNITED STATES STRATEGIC BOMBING SURVEY
SUMMARY REPORT
(Pacific War)

WASHINGTON, D.C.
1 JULY 1946

I have read this document many times in its entirety. The 'Conclusions' section is extremely interesting reading, particularly the sub-section JAPAN'S STRUGGLE TO END THE WAR. The final four passages of this sub-section:

Page 26

<snip>
On 6 August the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, and on 9 August Russia entered the war. In the succeeding meetings of the Supreme War Direction Council, the differences of opinion previously existing as to the Potsdam terms persisted exactly as before. By using the urgency brought about through fear of further atomic bombing attacks, the Prime Minister found it possible to bring the Emperor directly into the discussions of the Potsdam terms. Hirohito, acting as arbiter, resolved the conflict in favor of unconditional surrender.

The public admission of defeat by the responsible Japanese leaders, which constituted the political objective of the United States offensive begun in 1943, was thus secured prior to invasion and while Japan was still possessed of some 2,000,000 troops and over 9,000 planes in the home islands. Military defeats in the air, at sea and on the land, destruction of shipping by submarines and by air, and direct air attack with conventional as well as atomic bombs, all contributed to this accomplishment.

There is little point in attempting precisely to impute Japan's unconditional surrender to any one of the numerous causes which jointly and cumulatively were responsible for Japan's disaster. The time lapse between military impotence and political acceptance of the inevitable might have been shorter had the political structure of Japan permitted a more rapid and decisive determination of national policies. Nevertheless, it seems clear that, even without the atomic bombing attacks, air supremacy over Japan could have exerted sufficient pressure to bring about unconditional surrender and obviate the need for invasion.

Based on a detailed investigation of all the facts, and supported by the testimony of the surviving Japanese leaders involved, it is the Survey's opinion that certainly prior to 31 December 1945, and in all probability prior to 1 November 1945, Japan would have surrendered even if the atomic bombs had not been dropped, even if Russia had not entered the war, and even if no invasion had been planned or contemplated.
</snip>

Source: United States Strategic Bombing Survey: Summary Report (Pacific War)

As I interpret it, these four passages put forth two Survey conclusions that seem to exist in a state of tension:

a) The atomic bombs were indeed a contributing factor in securing the unconditional surrender of Japan.

b) Japan would have unconditionally surrendered by the end of 1945 at the latest even without atomic/Russian/mainland-invasion interventions.

Comments?

[Officer of Engineers]

b) Japan would have unconditionally surrendered by the end of 1945 at the latest even without atomic/Russian/mainland-invasion interventions.

Comments?

Maybe but I would not have counted on it, given the Japanese tenacity to fighting to the last man, even when the outcome was for certain. Okinawa even saw civies jumping off cliffs. All indications were tha Japan wanted to die fighting. We would have been foolish not to help them along.

[Minskaya]

Maybe but I would not have counted on it, given the Japanese tenacity to fighting to the last man, even when the outcome was for certain. Okinawa even saw civies jumping off cliffs. All indications were tha Japan wanted to die fighting. We would have been foolish not to help them along.

Without doubt Colonel, many share your viewpoints and convictions in this regard.

For informational purposes, this is the Forward of the quite lengthy Survey.

Foreword

The United States Strategic Bombing Survey was established by the Secretary of War on 3 November 1944, pursuant to a directive from the late President Roosevelt. It was established for the purpose of conducting an impartial and expert study of the effects of our aerial attack on Germany, to be used in connection with air attacks on Japan and to establish a basis for evaluating air power as an instrument of military strategy, for planning the future development of the United States armed forces, and for determining future economic policies with respect to the national defense. A summary report and some 200 supporting reports containing the findings of the Survey in Germany have been published. On 15 August 1945, President Truman requested the Survey to conduct a similar study of the effects of all types of air attack in the war against Japan.

The officials of the Survey in Japan, who are all civilians, were:

Franklin D'Olier, Chairman.
Paul H. Nitze,
Henry C. Alexander, Vice Chairmen.
Harry L. Bowman,
J. Kenneth Galbraith,
Rensis Likert,
Frank A. McNamee, Jr.,
Fred Searls, Jr.,
Monroe E. Spaght,
Dr. Louis R. Thompson,
Theodore P. Wright, Directors.
Walter Wilds, Secretary.

The Survey's complement provided for 300 civilians, 350 officers, and 500 enlisted men. Sixty percent of the military segment of the organization for the Japanese study was drawn from the Army, and 40 percent from the Navy. Both the Army and the Navy gave the Survey all possible assistance in the form of men, supplies, transport, and information. The Survey operated from headquarters in Tokyo, with subheadquarters in Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki, and with mobile teams operating in other parts of Japan, the islands of the Pacific, and the Asiatic mainland.

The Survey secured the principal surviving Japanese records and interrogated top Army and Navy officers, Government officials, industrialists, political leaders, and many hundreds of their subordinates throughout Japan. It was thus possible to reconstruct much of wartime Japanese military planning and execution, engagement by engagement and campaign by campaign, and to secure reasonably accurate data on Japan's economy and war production, plant by plant, and industry by industry. In addition, studies were made of Japan's over-all strategic plans and the background of her entry into the war, the internal discussions and negotiations leading to her acceptance of unconditional surrender, the course of health and morale among the civilian population, the effectiveness of the Japanese civilian defense organization and the effects of the atomic bomb. Separate reports will be issued covering each phase of the study.

In this Summary Report the civilian officials and directors of the Survey have not undertaken to write a history of the Pacific war, nor to apportion credit for victory among the various component Allied forces. They have undertaken, as civilians, to present an analysis of the factual material gathered by the Survey and their general appraisal thereof as to the future.

Source: United States Strategic Bombing Survey: Summary Report (Pacific War)

[Parihaka]

Whether one bomb out of the Enola Gay or tens of thousands out of bombers, what's the difference? The Japanese surrendered when they did. Maybe it was a new weapon allowing Hirohito to speak directly but it certainly wasn't concern for losses on the military or civilian side.

[Albany Rifles]

All I know is I am alive today because my Dad's ship did not have to fight in an invasion. He was aboard a carrier ith orders to an LST.

[gunnut]

All I know is I am alive today because my Dad's ship did not have to fight in an invasion. He was aboard a carrier ith orders to an LST.

And many Japanese civilians (and military alike) should be thankful as well. Should an invasion take place, the death toll would have eclipsed the result of the A-boms many fold. Each day the war was shortened meant thousands saved.

[S2]

A.R. Reply

"...All I know is I am alive today because my Dad's ship did not have to fight in an invasion..."

My dad's step-mom died in very late October, 1950. They were incredibly close despite adoption. Dad went home on compassionate leave. He'd been assigned to the 70th Armor Battalion (Heavy) who were attached the 1st Cav Div. I believe her death was the final gift my step-mom could afford a very loved son. Much of the division was decimated when the Chinese poured south in early November.

Earlier, my dad had broken his leg while going through basic in the fall of 1944. He was recycled. Most of his peers whom graduated in early December 1944 were thrown on planes direct to England, crossloaded and flown into Antwerp where they were trucked south as individual replacements to battered rifle companies. Needless to say the life expectancy for many of those raw recruits, left amidst tired and cynical veterans, was very poor. Dodged that bullet with a broken leg but it took two nukes to enable him to dodge an opposed landing on the beaches of Kyushu and divine intervention to survive the Gauntlet in Korea.

We don't know with certainty how things might have otherwise transpired but in those days casualty lists could be very, very long.

[Albany Rifles]

[B]
We don't know with certainty how things might have otherwise transpired but in those days casualty lists could be very, very long.

Aye, Deuce, aye.

[vicdei]

Our Chinese never trust believe those white (European) respresent the so-call "justify ,democrocy and freedom", that is the bush!t and lying invent by the white cheat other race on the Earth. Before pearl harbor under attacked, the US still sold arms,steel to Japanese to slaughter Chinese. The US was the biggest speculator and traitor of ally in world war 2.



Of course, the white of US only dare betray his ally more weak compare US.
Like China in world war 2,the Iranian, Iraq and Afghanistan were ally with US in past 100 years. NOW they become the enemy of US.

If these white of US had some courage sold his ally or a race, (like Alien invade the Earth),who much stronger than US on the planet.

Everyone on this forum must know what miserable fate of American would happen ?? :insane:

[Officer of Engineers]

Hey, numbskull. It was the US cutting off oil to Japan because of China that Japan attacked the US.

[YellowFever]

I like this thread.

Can I respectfully suggest that the post above be deleted and this idiot banned?

I think it's the same guy we had here about a year ago that kept harping about aliens invading the earth and "White America can not do anything"...

Edit: Umm..not the colonel's but the one above that..