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What would you do if you were Truman?
Jul 24, 2008 04:50
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USA President Truman dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of WWII. The power of atomic bomb is beyond control. It was too harmful. If you were Truman, what would you do?
Jul 24, 2008 05:20
#1  
  • YINDUFFY
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In 1945 the British didn't want the U.S. to invade Japan's home islands until they had taken back Hong Kong by a combined overland and Naval attack. How many Chinese would have died in that effort? All the Japanese troops in China were still fighting and would not surrender peacefully unless the Emperor ordered them.
Their justification for surrender was that the enemy was using "the power that the Sun uses" and since their Royalty was descended from the Sun God it was not considered dishonorable to submit.
Conventional weapons were fearful enough but many, many Japanese and Allied troops would have suffered in the prolonged invasion of Japan's homeland.
The war ended quickly and the Japanese, for the most part, laid down their arms and accepted the wishes of the Emperor. The rebuilding began almost immediately. Prisoners and interned civilians were released.
Jul 24, 2008 05:51
#2  
  • DODGER
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I did read somewhere that the Allies new that Japan was close to surrendering but they just wanted to know if it really worked. The Bomb that is. It was also a message that they wanted to send to the USSR.
The fire bombing of Japanese Cities was just as destructive in terms of human life.
But certainly the ultimate repayment for years of aggression.
Dodger.
Jul 24, 2008 08:37
#3  
  • YINDUFFY
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No one outside of the highest levels of the Japanese government and military knew how desperate the situation was in the home islands. as for the Allies, rumors and speculation in wartime run rampant. Japan had a pact with the USSR and didn't expect them to enter the Pacific war (They did not know of the Potsdam conference) In fact, U.S. fliers who crash landed in that part of the USSR were interned, not returned to the Allies.
The squadron that was assigned to drop the bomb had flown several practice missions using 10,000 pound conventional bombs and they were waiting for a useable Atomic bomb. When one was available, it was rushed out to the flightline. Before Hiroshima, the only Atomic detonation was the July 17,1945 Alamagordo, New Mexico, test. They knew the bomb worked in theory but didn't know very much else at the time.
Japanese diplomats provided confusing correspondence through channels in Switzerland and Truman did what had to be done.
I sincerely hope that Atomic weapons are never used again.
Jul 24, 2008 11:58
#4  
  • GRIZ326
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Was it really over after the first bomb? Or was it the second bomb that did the job? Eye of the tiger.

Truman made a tough call and never apologized for dropping the second bomb. It is foolish to second guess him now.
Jul 25, 2008 21:50
#5  
  • MARRIE
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It's worth review again and again, the same with review credit crunch that is the photocopy of debt crisis happened in latin america, south east asia during '70, '80, and '90 where they were accompanied with energy crisis.
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