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Discussion on the necessity of the Atomic Bombs(And general Strategic Bombing) on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
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<blockquote data-quote="C-Note" data-source="post: 1489861" data-attributes="member: 9873"><p>The US and the British DID NOT know in advance that Pearl Harbor was going to be attacked. They knew the Japanese fleet was on the move in the South Pacific, but they did not know that the Japanese carriers were headed towards Hawaii. The Allies could read the Japanese diplomatic ("Purple") code, but only about 1% of the Japanese military codes at that time. The deciphered Purple messages on December 6 & 7 from Tokyo instructed the Japanese embassy in DC to notify Roosevelt that diplomacy was over, but it did not declare war. The War Department was in the process of alerting the Pacific commands when the Pearl Harbor attack began. They thought the Japanese might hit the Philippines or Guam, but not Hawaii. Roosevelt had instructed the military to defend itself against Japanese (or German) attacks, but not to fire the first shot. The US population was very isolationist at the time, so he knew that Japan had to be the one to draw first blood.</p><p></p><p>The justification that the US used to firebomb Japanese cities was that there were many small workshops and mills scattered throughout residential areas. That was correct. The Japanese had used the same justification when they firebombed Chinese cities. This was also the justification used by the US in employing the atomic bombs. As an aside, many people don't know that the Nagasaki bomb exploded right over the neighborhood in which Japan's Christian population was centered.</p><p></p><p>Although the US had an effective blockade around the Japanese islands in August, 1945, Allied personnel were still fighting and dying in the Philippines, Borneo, Bougainville, New Britain, and elsewhere in the Pacific. Any weapon which you believe will help you to end the war more quickly, short of poison gas, is on the table. Also, the suicidal tactics used by the Japanese made the Allies believe that an invasion of Japan would be an absolute bloodbath.</p><p></p><p>The atomic bombs DID help persuade the Japanese to surrender. Remember, some Japanese military officers tried to stage a coup when they learned about the surrender plans. The Emperor of Japan used the atomic bombs as justification for the surrender in his speech to the nation. He stated that because of the atomic bomb, Japan needed to surrender in order to save humanity from that threat.</p><p></p><p>The use of the atomic bombs has allowed some Japanese to promote a victimization narrative. It is a disingenuous narrative, in my opinion.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="C-Note, post: 1489861, member: 9873"] The US and the British DID NOT know in advance that Pearl Harbor was going to be attacked. They knew the Japanese fleet was on the move in the South Pacific, but they did not know that the Japanese carriers were headed towards Hawaii. The Allies could read the Japanese diplomatic ("Purple") code, but only about 1% of the Japanese military codes at that time. The deciphered Purple messages on December 6 & 7 from Tokyo instructed the Japanese embassy in DC to notify Roosevelt that diplomacy was over, but it did not declare war. The War Department was in the process of alerting the Pacific commands when the Pearl Harbor attack began. They thought the Japanese might hit the Philippines or Guam, but not Hawaii. Roosevelt had instructed the military to defend itself against Japanese (or German) attacks, but not to fire the first shot. The US population was very isolationist at the time, so he knew that Japan had to be the one to draw first blood. The justification that the US used to firebomb Japanese cities was that there were many small workshops and mills scattered throughout residential areas. That was correct. The Japanese had used the same justification when they firebombed Chinese cities. This was also the justification used by the US in employing the atomic bombs. As an aside, many people don't know that the Nagasaki bomb exploded right over the neighborhood in which Japan's Christian population was centered. Although the US had an effective blockade around the Japanese islands in August, 1945, Allied personnel were still fighting and dying in the Philippines, Borneo, Bougainville, New Britain, and elsewhere in the Pacific. Any weapon which you believe will help you to end the war more quickly, short of poison gas, is on the table. Also, the suicidal tactics used by the Japanese made the Allies believe that an invasion of Japan would be an absolute bloodbath. The atomic bombs DID help persuade the Japanese to surrender. Remember, some Japanese military officers tried to stage a coup when they learned about the surrender plans. The Emperor of Japan used the atomic bombs as justification for the surrender in his speech to the nation. He stated that because of the atomic bomb, Japan needed to surrender in order to save humanity from that threat. The use of the atomic bombs has allowed some Japanese to promote a victimization narrative. It is a disingenuous narrative, in my opinion. [/QUOTE]
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