Remembering Hiroshima

[Psycho4Bud]

Firstly, do not confuse race with nation. Perhaps the majority of the nation held that belief, but by no means all of them, and certainly not the entire Japanese race. Some members of that race were ordinary Americans held in internment camps. Races do not hold beliefs. People do.

You definataly did not see that show last night. They considered their Emperor as a God. They ALL would have died for him!

And if the key to breaking Japan's back was by showing them a weapon which could potentially paralyze their entire country, I ask why it was necessary to simply kill huge numbers of Japanese civilians out of the blue, no warning or anything.

Hey Japan, we will be there at 09:00 A.M. pacific time with a very large bomb for ya!


And then to attack MORE civilians before they even had a real chance to surrender, just for the hell of it.

Three more days given waiting for a surrender....didn't happen did it!


How is showing them the power of a nuclear weapon by killing lots of civilians more effective than showing them the power of a nuclear weapon by killing very few civilians? The United States government unnecessarily murdered hundreds of thousands of people as a means to a political end, and people are hesitant to call any government action terrorist.

A few civilian loses would not have meant shit to the Japanese. The Emperor was God and they were all in Samori mode. Hell, look at the kamakazi. Give your life for the Emperor.

The highest ranking officer in the Pacific Theater, General Douglas MacArthur (who was not consulted), called the bombings "completely unnecessary from a military point of view."

MacArthur, like Patton, were old school warriors. They believed that you line up your troops in battle and drove across the country sides. He saw the end of the great battles with the A-bomb.

Eisenhower wrote in his memoirs:
"In 1945 Secretary of War Stimson, visiting my headquarters in Germany, informed me that our government was preparing to drop an atomic bomb on Japan. I was one of those who felt that there were a number of cogent reasons to question the wisdom of such an act? During his recitation of the relevant facts, I had been conscious of a feeling of depression and so I voiced to him my grave misgivings, first on the basis of my belief that Japan was already defeated and that dropping the bomb was completely unnecessary, and secondly because I thought that our country should avoid shocking world opinion by the use of a weapon whose employment, was I thought, no longer mandatory as a measure to save American lives."

Another Military General. Same mindset as MacArthur.

The United States Strategic Bombing Survey, which interviewed hundreds of Japanese civilian and military leaders after the surrender, had this to say:

"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."

Then why didn't they surrender BEFORE we dropped the bomb. Ample time was given. Why didn't they surrender after Hiroshima? Once again, ample time was given. It took two bombs with great loses in order to break the Emperors will to keep up the fight and go against his military cabinet.

[Psycho4Bud]

The Hiroshima Cover-Up
by Amy Goodman and David Goodman

A story that the U.S. government hoped would never see the light of day finally has been published, 60 years after it was spiked by military censors. The discovery of reporter George Weller's firsthand account of conditions in post-nuclear Nagasaki sheds light on one of the great journalistic betrayals of the last century: the cover-up of the effects of the atomic bombing on Japan.

On Aug. 6, 1945, the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima; three days later, Nagasaki was hit. Gen. Douglas MacArthur promptly declared southern Japan off-limits, barring the news media. More than 200,000 people died in the atomic bombings of the cities, but no Western journalist witnessed the aftermath and told the story. Instead, the world's media obediently crowded onto the battleship USS Missouri off the coast of Japan to cover the Japanese surrender.

A month after the bombings, two reporters defied General MacArthur and struck out on their own. Mr. Weller, of the Chicago Daily News, took row boats and trains to reach devastated Nagasaki. Independent journalist Wilfred Burchett rode a train for 30 hours and walked into the charred remains of Hiroshima.

Both men encountered nightmare worlds. Mr. Burchett sat down on a chunk of rubble with his Baby Hermes typewriter. His dispatch began: "In Hiroshima, 30 days after the first atomic bomb destroyed the city and shook the world, people are still dying, mysteriously and horribly - people who were uninjured in the cataclysm from an unknown something which I can only describe as the atomic plague."

He continued, tapping out the words that still haunt to this day: "Hiroshima does not look like a bombed city. It looks as if a monster steamroller has passed over it and squashed it out of existence. I write these facts as dispassionately as I can in the hope that they will act as a warning to the world."



http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0805-20.htm

How is this a cover up? Could it possibly be that full well knowing there would be unsafe radiation levels that they wanted to keep dumb asses out of there? There is also a matter of assessing the situation before letting everyone come in. How could they "cover-up" the total destruction of two cities?

[Psycho4Bud]

Here's another lil' piece of history:

In March 1942, Homma began his plans for the American and Filipino troops who would become Prisoners of War. He planned on moving them to Camp O'Donnell, about one hundred miles away. According to the Japanese military, this was not a long distance, and their troops could easily accomplish it within a few days. However, those on Bataan were not in good physical health. Since January they had been on half-rations or less. During the surrender agreement, King told Homma that he had more men than the Japanese planned for and that they were ill and undernourished. But Homma ignored these facts, plus King's offer to drive the troops to the prison camps. According to the Japanese, once the POWs were in their captivity, they could do with them as they wished, and King's requests were disgraceful. (47)

The Bataan Death March began at Mariveles on April 10, 1942. Any troops who fell behind were executed. Japanese troops beat soldiers randomly, and denied the POWs food and water for many days. One of their tortures was known as the sun treatment. The Philippines in April is very hot. Therefore, the POWs were forced to sit in the sun without any shade, helmets, or water. Anyone who dared ask for water was executed. On the rare occasion they were given any food, it was only a handful of contaminated rice. When the prisoners were allowed to sleep for a few hours at night, they were packed into enclosures so tight that they could barely move. Those who lived collapsed on the dead bodies of their comrades. For only a brief part of the march would POWs be packed into railroad cars and allowed to ride. Those who did not die in the suffocating boxcars were forced to march about seven more miles until they reached their camp. It took the POWs over a week to reach their destination. (49) Those on Corregidor would suffer the same fate as their fellow soldiers on Bataan did as they too were transferred to Bataan.
http://history.acusd.edu/gen/st/~ehi...ath_march.html

With what the Japanese did leading up to the bomb; not only against us but also the way they dealt with the Chinese, I really hold no sympathy or remorse for our actions.

[BlueCat]

So when Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter George Weller's 25,000-word story on the horror that he encountered in Nagasaki was submitted to military censors, General MacArthur ordered the story killed, and the manuscript was never returned. As Mr. Weller later summarized his experience with General MacArthur's censors, "They won."

Did you read the whole thing?

[Psycho4Bud]

So when Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter George Weller's 25,000-word story on the horror that he encountered in Nagasaki was submitted to military censors, General MacArthur ordered the story killed, and the manuscript was never returned. As Mr. Weller later summarized his experience with General MacArthur's censors, "They won."

Did you read the whole thing?

Yes I did and still say no conspiracy! What good would have been served by letting this information out? What could possibly be motives as to not release information?

Germany surrenders and signed documents in France on May 7...the Soviets demand an individual ceremony be held in Soviet controlled Berlin on May 9th. We dropped the bomb in Hiroshima on Aug 6, the Soviets FINALLY declare war on Japan Aug 8, Nagasaki on Aug 9, Aug 10 Japan offers to surrender.

The Soviets had an agenda. Did they give soverenty to aquired lands? Hell no! Eastern block countries paid the price under Soviet rule. It was very clear what the Soviets had in mind, Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan were taken by the Soviets. Did we want to disclose all information to the Soviets as to the bomb?

[BlueCat]

the problem was that there were scientists that feared the bomb....

The official U.S. narrative of the atomic bombings downplayed civilian casualties and categorically dismissed as "Japanese propaganda" reports of the deadly lingering effects of radiation.

Why downplay the deaths? And it is true about radiation but they lied about that too.

Why lie?

[Psycho4Bud]

Who knows? Maybe because we didn't want the Soviets to know of the full affects? Maybe we didn't want fear in the U.S. in case the Soviets aquired the technology...remember tuck and cover?

[ermitonto]

You definataly did not see that show last night. They considered their Emperor as a God. They ALL would have died for him!

No, I did not watch that show since I don't watch TV. You claimed that every member of the Japanese race (not even the Japanese nation, but the entire race, even Japanese-Americans!) would have died for their Emperor, and you get this information from a TV show. Now, I'm no expert on psychology, but I'm sure that there were people living in Japan who did not want to die for the Emperor. They probably weren't really vocal about it, but it's kind of difficult to get EVERYONE in a country to be willing to die for a cause.

Hey Japan, we will be there at 09:00 A.M. pacific time with a very large bomb for ya!

Well, there's no reason to give away the exact time and place, but they didn't even try to notify Japan that they had this weapon. They just assumed the Japanese wouldn't have believed them and went on with the murdering.

Three more days given waiting for a surrender....didn't happen did it!
A few civilian loses would not have meant shit to the Japanese. The Emperor was God and they were all in Samori mode. Hell, look at the kamakazi. Give your life for the Emperor.

As somebody already mentioned, it is impossible to know what would have happened had the situation been handled more humanely. But I still see no reason why the nuclear weapons could not have been demonstrated without targeting some of the most densely populated areas of Japan.

Then why didn't they surrender BEFORE we dropped the bomb. Ample time was given. Why didn't they surrender after Hiroshima? Once again, ample time was given. It took two bombs with great loses in order to break the Emperors will to keep up the fight and go against his military cabinet.

So they had the power to murder hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians who you claim were all willing to "die for their Emperor" yet they couldn't have just bombed the fucking Emperor and his military cabinet who were responsible for the whole war? They could have at least fit in some non-innocent deaths there...and it would surely break the Emperor's back! I'm just saying, there were probably other solutions which could have dealt with the situation in a more humane manner.

[Psycho4Bud]

No, I did not watch that show since I don't watch TV. You claimed that every member of the Japanese race (not even the Japanese nation, but the entire race, even Japanese-Americans!) would have died for their Emperor, and you get this information from a TV show. Now, I'm no expert on psychology, but I'm sure that there were people living in Japan who did not want to die for the Emperor. They probably weren't really vocal about it, but it's kind of difficult to get EVERYONE in a country to be willing to die for a cause.

The French may not have liked turning in Jews to the Nazis or even liked it...but they still did it! The difference is, they considered the Emperor to be a God.

Well, there's no reason to give away the exact time and place, but they didn't even try to notify Japan that they had this weapon. They just assumed the Japanese wouldn't have believed them and went on with the murdering.

Went on with the murdering? Damn right. After China, Peril Harbor, Kamakazi pilots, the Bataan Death March, etc....... Why the hell should have we cut any slack. We offered terms of surrender and it didn't take one bomb BUT TWO to convince them!

As somebody already mentioned, it is impossible to know what would have happened had the situation been handled more humanely. But I still see no reason why the nuclear weapons could not have been demonstrated without targeting some of the most densely populated areas of Japan.

HELLO!!! It took TWO times to convince these people they were done!

So they had the power to murder hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians who you claim were all willing to "die for their Emperor" yet they couldn't have just bombed the fucking Emperor and his military cabinet who were responsible for the whole war? They could have at least fit in some non-innocent deaths there...and it would surely break the Emperor's back! I'm just saying, there were probably other solutions which could have dealt with the situation in a more humane manner.

Why not just bomb the Emperor? The Emperor was the only one in the country that had the power to tell the people the war is done. Show no resistance. They would listen to a living God (Emperor) not the wests idea of what a dead martyr would have wanted.

[NowhereMan]

Why not just bomb the Emperor? The Emperor was the only one in the country that had the power to tell the people the war is done. Show no resistance. They would listen to a living God (Emperor) not the wests idea of what a dead martyr would have wanted.

and there ya have it
only he could tell them not to die for japans honor
and take so many allied lives with them

a big splash out in the water wouldnt impress them
it had to be a big population center to show the resovle of the allied force to do what it takes to stop the shit.drop your weapons or u all die,
am i proud of all the lil kids getting fried,fuck no,war is appalling.
but do i believe that it was what should have been done(bomb a city),yes.they had the weapon and used it,just think if japan had got the dam thing,yea think hard .in fact they tried balloons dude that killed lil kids on field trip.who found one that made it over here,many made it,and yes it was COVERED up to not let them know to send more,as if it failed,
oh just one ya say,but a innocent is a innocent or dont that kid count.
he was trucking along in his homeland his hills and boom,he's dead from a random ass balloon bomb could of killed anyone,so dont say anything about how wrong it was to wipe out a big ass target of them,and say want more
had enough,lets hear from ya or we drop more.surrender yet tojo??
to me that emporer was a real one,he saved his people instead of letting them all die for some bullshit started by greedy bastards.he said STOP.
that war was a real atrocity, and the USA did not start the shit
but we sure as hell finished it
peace