Quote:
Originally posted by SecretMaster:
I say no. I just did a report on this too and here are some key facts to note.
1. The bombings of both cities killed more than double that of Pearl Harbor, and so the arguement of "the Japanese deserved it because of Pearl Harbor" is totally silenced right there.
2. Military Generals who commanded and fought against the Japanese all agreed that the bomb was not necessary to have Japan surrender (MacArthur for one, Eisenhower, and others). Japan was also practically in shambles before the bomb was dropped, and would not have lasted longer.
3. There were other means to negotiated a favorable surrender via Russians that Truman consciously knew about, but did not consider that idea.
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I've never heard point #1 used as a justification for dropping the bomb, EVER.
Argument 2 is also questionable. The consensus among the military AT THE TIME, was that the Japanese were more than prepared for a protracted defense of the Japanese Homeland. Estimates indicated that the US could have suffered over 1 million casualties (!) in a invasion. Military officials were shocked when investigations of post-war Japan revealed that the Japanese had hidden substantial military assets, including hundreds of newly manufactured JET FIGHTERS (modelled after the Messerschmitt ME 262 - using German technology), in secret hangers throughout Japan. Military intelligence prior to the surrender had totally failed to reveal their existence.
The Russians were a late entry into the war against Japan, and the US desperately wanted to avoid a protracted land war against the Japanese homeland, not only to minimize US casualties but ALSO to avoid allowing the Russians to make post-war territorial claims in the Pacific. A quick resolution to the war was required. As it was, the Russians were still able to claim several smaller islands which are still in dispute today.
Sorry, but I think dropping the First bomb was necessary if for no other reason than to save US soldiers lives. Prior to the dropping of the first bomb, the Japanese were also stubbornly holding out for a Negotiated Peace; one that would have allowed them to retain territory seized in the war. The US and its Allies insisted on an unconditional surrender. Had the Japanese realized the inevitability of their position and surrendered unconditionally, the second bomb would NOT have been dropped. Regrettably, the Japanese stubbornly held out. The second bomb convinced them of the futility of their position.