On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 23:56:11 GMT, "David J. Allen"
<dallen03NO_SPAM@sanNO_SPAM.rr.com> wrote:
>
>"C. E. White" <cewhite3@mindspring.com> wrote in message
>news:3F7065DE.E4845B3@mindspring.com...
>>
>>
>> Matt Osborn wrote:
>>
>> > >However, I think the use of the atom bomb was probably an unfortunate
>> > >mistake. I doubut the poeple who made the decision understood the
>> > >magnitude of what they did.
>> >
>> > They saved lives, Ed, ours and theirs. What's wrong with that?
>>
>> Well that is debatable and has been. Supposedly the Japanese were
>> willing to surrender as long as we guaranteed to not depose the Emperor.
>> We said no conditions, so the Japanese wouldn't surrender. We dropped
>> the bombs, they surrenders, and we didn't depose the Emperor. The
>> assumption was that we said under the table we wouldn't depose the
>> Emperor and they publicly said they were unconditionally surrendering.
>> Both sides maintained "face." We don't know what would have happened if
>> we hadn't dropped the bombs so anything anyone says is pure speculation.
>> I just think if Turman had really understood the power and after effects
>> of atom bombs, he would not have authorized them to be dropped. Of
>> course that is just speculation as well. I don't blame anyone for the
>> decision, it was a war, people were dying everyday. The Japanese had
>> started the war and had ample opportunities to sue for peace before we
>> ended it.
>>
>> Ed
>
>Fair enough. Though, I think Truman understood that it was important that
>the Japanese be defeated 100%. The Japanese could have (and probably did)
>sue for peace many times towards the end.
There is no evidence to support this.
The state records of Japan show the opposite; the government was very
opposed to surrender.
There were *some* Japanese officials who wanted to end the war (just
like in *any* government of the time [and the present, too]), but
that's not "the Japanese."
>The problem with less than 100%
>victory is illustrated in Iraq, where Hussein was left in power after the
>first "victory" making a second "victory" necessary. That victory won't be
>100% until Hussein and his crowd are dead or in jail.
>
>I'm sure the Japanese were quite willing for the war to end and everyone
>just go home.
The Japanese government wasn't so sure about that.
I'm not guessing here; the documents exist. The Japanese documents.
>It should be obvious, though, that that would have been the
>wrong thing to do. The bomb did what no other weapon or stategy had done up
>to that point.
>
Exactly; the Bomb convinced the Japanese government that they could
not win.
Until the Bombs were dropped, the government of Japan had no such
conviction.
--
Bill Funk
replace "g" with "a"