Posted by
stace on Sunday, August 09, 2009 12:13:47 AM
In the age of Obama, apologizing for perceived wrongs perpetrated by the US is an everyday occurrence. In the case of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the apologizing started a long time ago. Obfuscation of the truth has been the modus operandi of those who wish to make Americans feel guilty for ending a war we did not start and did not want. Instead of refuting the revisionists' points with my humble opinions, I'm going to let Michihiko Hachiya, MD, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, answer them for me. Excerpts are from Dr. Hachiya's book, Hiroshima Diary, printed in 1955 by the University of North Carolina Press.
1. Hiroshima was a civilian target; there was no military value to that city at all.
"One thing was certain -- Hiroshima was destroyed; and with it the army that had been quartered in Hiroshima. Gone were headquarters, gone the command post of the Second General Army and the Military School for young people, the General headquarters for the Western Command, the Corps of Engineers, and the Army Hospital. Gone was the hope of Japan! The war was lost! No more help would come from the gods!" 7 August, 1945 (p. 25) "For years Hiroshima had been an army town..." 12 August (p, 62)
2. Japan was much too civilized a society to want to use an atomic bomb; they certainly would not have used it on civilians.
"Following the news that Nagasaki had been bombed, a man came in from Fuchu with the incredible story that Japan had the same mysterious weapon, but until now, had kept it a strict secret and had not used it because it was judged too horrible even to mention. This man went on to say that a special attack squad from the navy had now used the bomb on the mainland of America and that his news had come from no less a source that General Headquarters. The blow had been dealt by a squadron of six-engined, trans-Pacific bombers, two of which failed to return. Those bombers were assumed to have dived right into their targets to make certain of success.
"If San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles had been hit like Hiroshima, what chaos there must be in those cities!
"At last Japan was retaliating!
"The whole atmosphere in the ward changed, and for the first time since Hiroshima was bombed, everyone became cheerful and bright. Those who had been hurt the most were the happiest. Jokes were made, and some began singing the victory song. Prayers were said for the soldiers. Everyone was now convinced that the tide of war had turned." 11 August (p. 48)
There have been unsubstantiated reports that Japan may have tested an atomic weapon in what is now N. Korea but the war ended before any serious consideration of using such a weapon on Allied Forces could have occurred. Nevertheless, those of us familiar with the horrific experiments of Unit 731 on civilians and military alike and who understand the zeal with which Kamikazes committed suicide for their Emperor cannot believe that Japan would not have used an atomic bomb if it had had a usable model. The Japanese military's despicable mindset speaks for itself.
3. Japan would have surrendered if the Allies had just talked to them.
"...It had been the Emperor's voice and he had read the Imperial Proclamation of Surrender!..I had come to attention at the mention of the Emperor's voice, and for a while we all remained silent and at attention. Darkness clouded my eyes, my teeth chattered, and I felt cold sweat running down my back.
"After a bit, I went quietly back to the hospital...Over and over the words "a lost battle!" rang in my ears.
"The ward was quiet and silence reigned for a long time. Finally, the silence was broken by the sound of weeping...
"By degrees people began to whisper and then to talk in low voices until, out of the blue sky, someone shouted: "How can we lose the war!"
"Following this outburst, expressions of anger were unleashed.
"'Only a coward would back out now!'
"'There is a limit to deceiving us!'
"'I would rather die than be defeated!'
"'What have we been suffering for?'
"'Those who died can't go to heaven in peace now!'
"The hospital suddenly turned into an uproar, and there was nothing one could do. Many who had been strong advocates of peace and others who had lost their taste for war following the pika were now shouting for the war to continue. Now that surrender was an accomplished fact, irrefutable and final, there was no soothing the people who had heard the news...I began to feel the same way -- fight to the bloody end and die. Why try to live with a scarred body? Would it not be better to die for one's country and crown life with perfection rather than live in shame and disgrace?
"The one word -- surrender--had produced a greater shock than the bombing of our city. The more I thought, the more wretched and miserable I became." 15 August (p. 81-82)
The very people who had been bombed, who had seen the burns wrought by an atomic explosion, who had seen the devastation, and had dealt with the horrible deaths caused by radiation poisoning would have preferred death to surrender. Could anyone expect the power hungry military to capitulate if these pathetic people were still willing to fight? The Emperor truly saved his country.
It seems to me that too many people enjoy blaming the United States for ending the war with the atomic bombs. Blaming the Japanese for starting a war that was rooted in their own arrogance and power madness would actually be placing responsibility with the responsible party. It is not America's fault that we had to use the A-bomb; it is Japan's fault for not surrendering when it knew all was lost.