THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 11, 1995 TAG: 9508110208
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
As a Naval veteran of World War II in the Pacific, I commend you on your instructive articles on the use of atomic weapons against Japan.
In 1945, following the end of the war, a national poll was conducted on whether President Truman was right in his decision to use the atomic bombs to bring the war to a speedy end. Eight-five percent of the people said yes. Based on the media coverage of the 50th anniversary of the event, with the endless pictures of charred and maimed children on TV, I suspect that were a similar poll conducted today the results would be more like 50-50.
The revisionist historians would have us believe that Japan was desperately trying to surrender and would have if only we had waited a little while longer. This is hogwash! Japanese military leaders knew the war was lost militarily, but they had no intention of surrendering unconditionally.
They were prepared to go down in one glorious final battle with the military leaders disemboweling themselves in a final act of hari-kiri. (Surrender was not an option under the Japanese military code. Death in battle ensured martyrdom and eternal glory.)
I believe the U.S. military estimate of up to 1 million casualties (not deaths) was a reasonable one, based on our previous experience, especially at Okinawa.
The war use of the atomic bombs not only saved huge numbers of American lives but even more Japanese lives (the fire bombings would have continued on an increasing scale). Moreover, demonstrating the cataclysmic destructive force of atomic weapons in a real war setting at Hiroshima and Nagasaki ensured no further war use of these weapons by major powers. Their use against Japan, plus our capability to use them again if necessary, brought about 50 years without major-power warfare.
JOHN Q. EDWARDS
Captain, U.S. Navy (ret.)
Norfolk, Aug. 7, 1995 by CNB