Why this post? I have about a dozen web sites in my political-favorites folder which I visit on most days. In the past couple of weeks EVERY single one them had at least one article about nuclear confrontation with Russia. That shit is fucked up and shit. That’s why.
“This Is Your Life” was a 30 minute Teevee show (a “reality” show, actually) on Nothing But Crap (NBC) for nine seasons (1952 – 1961). An unsuspecting celebrity or an exceptional common citizen was brought to the television studios under some untrue pretext. They wouldn’t realize what was happening until they were on camera and the show had begun. Then Ralph Edwards would tell them, “This is Your Life!” — and start telling their life story. When the story included someone important from their past, that person would come out on the stage. Most of those people hadn’t seen the “honoree” in years or even decades. It was supposed to be a look at your favorite comedian, actor, politician, etc. as a human being instead of a celebrity.
However, the show was designed to manipulate the viewer’s emotions …. usually, tears …. Saturday Evening Post once called the program “the weepiest show on television.” What they did was often shameful … as you will see in the following story …. the Hiroshima Story.
John Hersey’s landmark 1946 book, Hiroshima, documents, among other things, Reverend Kiyoshi Tanimoto’s story.
Kiyoshi Tanimoto was a Japanese-born, American-educated Methodist minister who had a parish in Hiroshima. Fate spared Tanimoto on that August 6, 1945 morning because he happened to be helping a friend move some family belongings to a house in Koi, a western suburb outside of the direct blast zone. After seeing the flash of The Bomb, Tanimoto instinctively dove between two large rocks. Debris from the collapsed house fell near the minister, but he emerged uninjured and was able to bear witness to the hideous aftermath.
THE KELOID GIRLS
After the war, Tanimoto began working with a group of women disfigured by the Bomb—a humanitarian effort that would eventually lead to his appearance on This Is Your Life. On August 6, 1945 of that horrific day, these women, who were school girls at the time of the bombing, had been ordered to help tear down houses and clear fire lanes. They were among a larger contingent of girls directed to partake in this task because Hiroshima was on alert for conventional firebombing raids. Most of these school girls were, of course, killed in the blast. Those who survived had horrible burns and soon developed keloids (scar tissue) on their faces and other parts of their bodies. When Tanimoto asked the American-established Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission to provide the women with plastic surgery, the minister’s request fell on deaf ears.
The Japanese local newspapers dubbed them Genbaku Otome, or, as translated into English, A-bomb Maidens. Eventually, doctors Arthur Barsky and William Hitzig selected twenty-five women who were deemed the most likely to benefit from the surgery. The Maidens left for New York, along with Reverend Tanimoto, on May 5, 1955. The American press reported on their trip with an editorial tone akin to that of a freak show advertisement. Headlines such as “Atom-Scarred Jap Girls Pray Before U.S. Trip” and “…A-Bomb Jap Girls To Get Plastic Surgery” were typical.
“This is Your Life” —- HORROR SHOW SURPRISE
Tanimoto was in America to RAISE FUNDS for these women. He was told by a friend to come to the West Coast to start another speaking and fundraising tour. On May 11th the minister arrived, as scheduled, at the NBC Studios in Hollywood for what he was told would be a local news interview.
Minutes after meeting Ralph Edwards for the first time, Tanimoto was surprised to find himself at the center of something that was quite obviously more than just a local news program. At 7 p.m. local time, Edwards began the show seated on a divan smiling at the camera. There was a sound effect of a ticking clock that grew louder as his opening remarks progressed.
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to This Is Your Life. The ticking you hear in the background is a clock counting off the seconds to 8:15 a.m., August 6, 1945. And seated here with me is a gentleman whose life was changed by the last tick of that clock as it reached 8:15.”
At this point Tanimoto, who was seated next to Edwards, was introduced. The minister was wearing a baggy suit and a stunned expression. Can you even begin to imagine the horror? The audience laughed when he confessed to Edwards that he had never heard of his program.
Edwards continued,
“We have been working for weeks with your friends Norman Cousins, editor of the Saturday Review, John Hersey, author of the best-selling book Hiroshima, and many others to bring you to our stage tonight so we could retell the story of your life. The facts are between the covers of this book. You will meet many people who have helped shape your destiny, and we hope that at the end of this half-hour you will have had some pleasant moments…And that you, ladies and gentlemen, will have a better understanding of what it is to look into the face of atomic power—to survive and die. Now we will pick up the threads of your life in a moment, Reverend Tanimoto, after this word from Bob Warren, our announcer, who has something very special to tell the girls in our audience. Bob?”
Did he actually say “pleasant moments”??? Are you fucking kidding me?? Was there ever a more horrifyingly disgusting surreal moment in the history of television? — “Hey folks! Looky here! We got us a bonafide A-Bomb survivor! Woo-fuckin-hoo! But, first, let’s hear from our sponsor, Helen Bishop Cosmetics. They got this nifty-keen nail polish! It’s even able to withstand industrial strength scrubbing!!”
THE EVIL BASTARD BEHIND THE CURTAIN
Tanimoto recounted how he and his friend had disregarded the commonplace air raid signals as they made their way to Koi with their pushcart. Then, a loud, disembodied Brooklyn-accented voice was heard from offstage:
“At zero six hundred on the morning of August 6, 1945, I was in a B-29 flying over the Pacific. Destination, Hiroshima.”
But, the Big Moment was not yet. Other figures from the Tanimots’s past were paraded before him, like Bertha Sparkey, the Methodist missionary who introduced him to Christianity as a boy.
The Big Moment came shortly after Tantimoto had finished describing the flash and the explosion. But, first, Edwards was moved to ask the most retarded question in the history of retarded television hosts: — “Did you know Hiroshima had been the first city to feel the force of atomic power?” The minister, of course, replied, — “I didn’t know what happened.” He then added that he had asked for God’s help which prompted another vocal interruption from Lewis from behind the door:
“And looking down from thousands of feet over Hiroshima, all I could think of was, ‘My God, what have we done?’”
Cue that velvety smooth voice; :
“The voice again of a man whose second of eternity was woven up with yours, Reverend Tanimoto. Now you have never met him, you’ve never seen him, but he’s here tonight to clasp your hand in friendship. Ladies and gentlemen, Captain Robert Lewis, United States Air Force, who along with Paul Tibbets piloted the plane from which the first atomic power was dropped over Hiroshima.”
Cue the music ……….. out walks the fucker who dropped the bomb …. to give history’s most awkward handshake with Tanimoto. The audience applauds.
The sonofabitch calls on God! When Edwards asked Lewis to describe his “experience” on the fateful day, the former airman hesitated for a moment and then began — “As I said before, Mr. Edwards…I wrote down later…” Choking up on these last words, Lewis put his hand to his forehead to steady himself, and then repeated his earlier line, “My God, what have we done?”
Edwards took special care to point out to his millions of viewers the dual invocation of the almighty by the bomber and victim:
“And so, Reverend Tanimoto, you on the ground, and you on your military mission, Captain Lewis, in the air, both appeal to a power greater than your own. Almost at the same moment you both utter the same words: My God. Thank you, Robert Lewis, now personnel manager at Henry Heide Incorporated in New York City.”
The audience applauded.
PURCHASING REDEMPTION FOR A MERE $500 BUCKEROOS.
The hope was that the show would raise a million dollars. Americans contributed a pathetically measly $55,000. Captain Lewis was expecting a fat check for appearing on the show. The day before the show he discovered he would be getting nothing, so he got drunk, and came on the show with a hangover. Lewis made a big show of forking over $500, his guilt now sufficiently assuaged. The audience applauded. He died of a heart attack in 1983 (age 66), and is now a citizen of Hell.
AFTERMATH
So, “This is your life” will someday be “This is your future”. More than likely, some day some evil satanic leader will decide “Hey, we’re losing this war. Let’s exterminate humanity.”. And some evil military drone soldier – “Just following orders, sir!” — will push the button.
But, nobody will be left alive to watch the apology on TV.
In 1948, the English-speaking Tanimoto embarked upon a lengthy speaking tour of the United States to raise funds for his church that was destroyed by the “Little Boy” atomic weapon. The minister gave 582 lectures on what he had learned from the tragedy of the Bomb. The title of his speech was “The Faith That Grew Out of the Ashes”
That, folks, is grace in action. If that was me, I would have titled a sermon – “Rot in hell you evil fucking bastards.”
Here is a five minute video with clips from the show AND one of the surviving Keloid Girls. It’s really worth a look.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=c_58byuLBu0
Here is the full show part 1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZYx4syf2oY&feature=player_detailpage
Here is the full show part 2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0m8D6APp64&feature=player_detailpage
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SOURCE: Most of the pictures and narrative come from this webpage, which contains much more detailed information;
http://conelrad.blogspot.com/2010/08/hiroshima-this-is-your-life.html
Stalin and Mao had a similar game show,it was called “We’ll Take Your Life ” Chekists were the game show hosts .
You like Steve have damaged your inner child . There’s no repairing him .People with damage to their inner child require years of Psychological Therapy. Here’s my recommendation:6 months of the best psychiatric in house treatment from Presbyterian Hospital .If this doesn’t work it’s proof your demon possessed and what you and Steve really need is an exorcism.Remember , a good old-fashioned exorcism never hurt anybody andit’s free.Hell ,Flash could probably do it.
Stucky , I guess what I’m saying is…..You shouldn’t be worried about Nuclear War with the Russians. You have got bigger problems.
…now, whenever I think, I have seen/heard/read it all…
Posts like this keep me a regular visitor of this site. Thank you!
The atomic bombs meant that my step-father did not have to go back to the Pacific Theater of Operations, and that my father came home from D-Day + 11 months, could stay in the states, and not go to the PTO.
What about the horrors committed by the Japanese? You don’t think they wouldn’t have nuked Los Angeles if they had the technology? It was war. The nukes saved a huge number of American soldiers lives. The Japanese wouldn’t surrender even after the first nuke was dropped. The Japanese started the war, refused to surrender, and the US did what was necessary to end it and save our soldiers lives. You grew up enjoying the benefits of that victory. Had the Japanese and Germans won, you would be living quite a different life. Try to imagine what it was like for people fighting WWII back in the 1940s. They weren’t the pampered brats that surround you today.
Thanks, Stucky.
You should reconsider where you post. It’s wasted here. For the most part, viewers on this site are goners regards becoming authentic humans. Let me suggest a book for you to read. (Perhaps you already have read it.)
Joe Bageant: Deer Hunting With Jesus.
I think that you will enjoy it immensely.
@Pavan
It’s that line of thinking that makes the end of humanity inevitable.
Read “Hiroshima Diary”, a day-by-day account by a Japanese doctor who took care of bombing victims from August 6-September 30, 1945.
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[/img]
nanking massacre. no pity.
Fact is, we didn’t need to drop the A bomb to end WWII; the “saving American lives” meme was propaganda….the Japanese were searching for a way to surrender “with honor”. The decision to go ahead with bombing Japan was to explore the effects of the A bomb when dropped on a city. That’s why Hiroshima and Nagasaki were selected since both had been spared thus far from bombing raids and were pristine.
Side note: in my Radio days I once interviewed Ralph Edwards during a Cancer Radiothon; seemed like a nice guy.
Great post stuck
I thank God you guys have a sense of humor for the most part ,even Steve. This is the place I come to everyday just looking for good laugh.I know I probably kid around when I shouldn’t but I got no where else to go.
As always good job Stucky.Sometimes the problems the world is facing are overwhelming. Even depressing when you realize there’s no solutions to many of these problems. Keep up the good work Stucky.
US POWs from WWII:
10 per cent of POWs survived German Stalags.
50 per cent of POWs survived Jap Prison Camps.
Sorry, I got that backwards.
90 % survived German Prison Camps.
Japs I got right.
+1000 Stuck… a Christian nation doesn’t commit murder on any scale…..to claim otherwise is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. And ,blasphemy is a a mortal sin , so think twice.
@WestCoaster
Fact is, we didn’t need to drop the A bomb to end WWII; the “saving American lives” meme was propaganda….the Japanese were searching for a way to surrender “with honor”
NO that’s not a fact, that’s an opinion. It would be far more accurate to say that there were SOME in Japan that wanted to surrender just as it would be accurate to say there were those in Germany that wanted of surrender much sooner than Hitler did which of course he never did. It would also be totally accurate to say that there were many in command in Japan that were determined to fight to the last man and would never surrender.
So how long Japan would have continued fighting if the “Bomb” had not been used is not knowable. Would the war have lasted weeks, months, years longer, no one will ever know. What is known is that the dropping of the Atom Bomb did convince Japan to surrender.
Also isn’t it interesting that the fire-bombing of Tokyo did more total damage, killed and maimed more Japanese than did the Atom Bombs and no one makes a big deal about that. Explain that.
1. The DoD still prevents archival, full-color video of the immediate aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from being revealed, so worried remain those with control that Americans would be totally repulsed by what their government and their military members did.
2. Almost every member of top military brass, from MacArthur to Nimitz, said dropping the Bombs was barbaric and beneath the morality of the USA. It was quite clear before the bombs were dropped that the war was ending and Japan would surrender. The only question was terms.
3. Truman changed his justification for dropping them at least three times.
4. Only children and mentally incompetent people believe the Tall Tales that a million US servicemen would have died in a planned invasion of the home islands. There were NO serious plans in place for such an invasion because it was well known that Japan was already finished as a war power.
5. It is quite clear from all evidence now available that FDR’s administration goaded Japan’s government into attacking Pearl. FDR needed a back door into the European war and his administration spent months trying to box Japan into attack.
6. There are NO GOOD GUYS in such conflicts. Japan’s forces acted as barbarians in China and the Philippines (Bataan Death March) and U.S. Marines gave it all back and then some (few Japanese POW’s made it home.) In war, EVERYONE is a butcher.
7. To this day, the United States of America, the Shining City on the Hill, is the ONLY nation to ever drop nuclear weapons on cities of people. The USA and Britain also firebombed population centers, including Dresden, long after the war’s outcome was sealed.
Regarding WW 2 in total, anyone who lost a soldier, sailor or Marine in the last months of either theater should blame FDR (and Truman.)
It is beyond question that FDR’s insistence on Unconditional Surrender, established at Potsdam, prolonged “both” wars.
Truman continued with that demand, and the wars lasted at least MONTHS longer than had negotiated peace been pursued.
Even worse, Germans attempting to depose/assassinate Hitler sought help from Churchill and the Americans, and were rebuffed at every turn. There was absolutely no interest on the part of the Allies in shortening the war or (obviously) reducing the death toll.
In the end, had the war ended sooner, and FDR not given Stalin all he wanted at Potsdam, millions of lives might have been spared.
There’s a special pit in hell for such people.
@ASIG,
Fact: Japan was working though a European country (Sweden?) to offer terms. This is in the National Archives, so far from being an “opinion,” it is an inconvenient fact.
Their term? The emperor was not to be hung as a war criminal.
This was rejected. In the end, the US granted this term anyway, so why were the bombs dropped on cities having no military significance?
1. All targets of military significance had already been reduced to rubble and ash. Japan was beaten.
2. In some peoples’ OPINION, it was done as a warning to Stalin.
Of course, communist agents within the US government very quickly provided the Soviets with atomic bomb plans, and we were off to the races.
Thank your lucky stars the USA didn’t have any more bombs. The head of the Air Force wanted to immediately nuke Russia.
If the Japanese had developed the A-bomb ahead of us, we wouldn’t be commenting here on this site… because they wouldn ‘t have stopped bombing us until the U.S. was a coast-to-coast crater. There would not be a single major city in this country left intact.
Considering the pass we were in at the time, with horrifying losses on the side of the Allied Powers and an enemy that just would not surrender, we actually exercised admirable restraint. As it was, we lost many more men than we really should have, and if we had not bombed Japan, our losses would have run steeply higher than the losses the bombings cost them.
I have a much easier time forgiving the American leadership in WW2 for what they did, than I do forgiving our current leadership for doing what they are doing, which is doing their utmost to trigger a world conflagration by alienating Russia and attempting to provoke a military confrontation with it.
@ pavan,
had Germany won, Hitler would have been assassinated sooner or later. It’s not like they weren’t trying.
Anyone who thinks we’d all be speaking German is too F-ing stupid for words. Two words: Atlantic. Ocean. (Slightly wider than the English Channel.)
Japan never contemplated invading the ConUS. While one can debate how “nice a guys” the Japanese were in the Philippines and China, let us take a moment and recall how many Filipinos were “liberated” from their bodies by US soldiers and Marines after the Spanish-American War. Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos were killed during the Philippine Insurrection, which was purest empire-building on the USA’s part.
Also, as bad as Japan was to China, China surpassed all records in being bad to CHINA a couple decades later under Mao.
In any event, had the US never entered WW2, some of Southeast Asia might still be under Japanese control (with Sony factories there) and Russia would have smashed itself against Germany and both of those countries would have been set back to the Stone Age.
It seems likeliest that the rest of us could have popped some popcorn and watched from a distance.
Chicago, surely you jest.
The technology to produce bombs was limited, and to deliver them was even more limited. Japan never had much of a chance, because all its raw materials for technology had to be imported and was subject to relatively easier interdiction. The continental US is HUGE compared to Japan (or Germany.) Only in the Modern Era is it possible to nuke an entire continent to the point where no one survives (thanks a whole lot, Teller & Oppenheimer.)
Japan had no A-bomb program, either. Germany did, but once again, delivery? V-2’s? Fallout wafting from blast zones onto the country that dropped the bombs? None of this makes any sense.
Fast forward to now, when we live under the umbrella of thousands of bombs many times the power of those dropped on Japan, with delivery vehicles that cannot be stopped.
Mankind has birthed technologies that almost certainly promise its own extinction, sooner or later. What an experiment, to give high intelligence to a killer ape.
Pavan….how much kool-aide did you drink in High School history class.
D.C….dead on the money.
My grandfather was at Nagasaki a few months after the bomb was dropped. We talked a lot about his experiences there in the last few months of his life. It changed his opinion of war in one day.
@ Wip,
+1000
“Better dead than Red” is the thinking of small minds who know nothing of history.
Who won which battle 1000 years ago? 3000 years ago? Don’t know? Don’t care?
That makes sense.
Wars come, wars go, the USA left Vietnam to the Ho’s communists and now it has a stock exchange.
NOTHING CHANGES, except who is alive to father and mother the next generation of children and who is DEAD, a rotting corpse.
Think of the English Civil War. At the end (three wars, actually) did it really matter which side won? Did that much change? If the Communists win today, are they even Communists in 100 years?
Within 100-200 years, almost everything changes. Wars don’t make people freer, they typically usher in even GREATER totalitarianism.
Bolshevism might have been still-born, without the chaos after world war 1. Nazism was a product of the punishing Treaty of Versailles, everyone can see that now.
The USA’s government has gotten massively larger and massively more intrusive with EACH WAR, never shrinking down to its pre-war size in what Robert Higgs calls “the ratchet effect.”
We are massively LESS free than our grandparents prior to World War 1, or 2, or Korea, or Vietnam, or Iraq, or the GWOT.
Even when ones military wins, the country ends up losing.
The trend is NOT our friend.
If they dont fix fukushima right the fuck now, they will look back at those bombs as the good old days.
Even when ones military wins, the country ends up losing.
The trend is NOT our friend.”
Yep
Ooops, I missed a call at the beginning.
People never seem to connect the dots.
Wars are for rulers. They win, everyone else loses. Wars (on wogs, on japs, krauts, etc., or on drugs, demon rum, “terrorism,” truancy, anti-vaxxers, or everything else) move us every closer the Orwellian Singularity, the TOTAL STATE.
In the TOTAL STATE, everything is controlled. That which is not expressly allowed is FORBIDDEN.
In the TOTAL STATE, your every move is watched and studied for signs of non-support.
People complain about the TOTAL STATE’s looming horror, but they celebrate their veterans, they laud their favorite politicians and the only grumble about the IRS.
It never occurs to them that the TOTAL STATE exists not for their benefit but for the benefit of those farming them.
If the electric power company is an important campaign donor or political patron, who cares if it builds a nuke plant in a vulnerable area? (You think I mean Fukushima, but I refer to a plant on the COAST OF CALIFORNIA!)
If Monsanto is an important corporate citizen, who cares if its selling thousands of tons of chemicals that, coincidentally, I’m sure, seem to be wiping out all the Monarch Butterflies. Monarch Butterflies don’t vote, do they? So what if SOME people think ROUND-UP is poisoning us all. Don’t rock the political boat, boys.
A political system that firebombs Dresden after that war is over, and nukes cities after THAT war is over, is the exact same political system that can send your kids off to die for NOTHING. The same system that can poison your water and your food because in the labyrinthine compartmentalized behemoth we call “government” it’s GOOD POLITICS.
This system is anti-life, anti-human, anti-US (as in YOU and ME.)
Connect the dots.
I finally got over mom’s nasty criticism.
So, I just got back from seeing mom at the rehab center. She’s feeling better than ever, and looks faaaabulous. For the past two decades el-cheapo momma has been cutting her own hair ….. BADLY. Well, that joint (it’s a NICE place) brings in professional hair-cutters twice a week. They “modernized” momma with a beautiful stylish cut. I told mom she looked terrific. She said (really) — “I know. I already have two boyfriends here.”
dc.sunsets
+100 on every post you made here. Your posts are better and more informational than my article. Thank you for your thoughts.
Of all the things you said regarding Japan’s surrender, probably the biggest show-stopper were the demands regarding the Emperor. The Japanese viewed him as a God. We absolutely KNEW the Japanese would never accept that demand …. that’s why we made it. Nothing like a live population to test a new weapon!
Only a few (thankfully) people here offer reasons why it was a good bombing. Actually … justifications, really. That’s very very scary. And, Crazy Thinking imho. That EXACTLY what will happen next time. “Well we HAD to nuke them because of A, B, C, D, and E. We had no other choice.”
“The Japanese started the war, …..” ——— pavan
You should consider a career in Comedy.
“Unconditional Surrender” was a way to end the mindset of the militarists of Japan and Germany. Negotiated surrenders would have left too many war-mongers in position of future political power, and we’d have had to start all over again, twenty or thirty years down the road.
As far as survival of our guys imprisoned by the Japs, over ten thousand of the guys from Corregidor died in the Bataan Death March, and of the survivors, another ten thousand died in the Cabanatuan concentration camp from disease and starvation. Few of those transported to Japan survived.
And the Kempeitai could easily have given nasty lessons to the Gestapo.
The above doesn’t mean that the TV show was not in terrible bad taste, bad manners. But it’s two different subjects entirely.
“Fact is, we didn’t need to drop the A bomb to end WWII; the “saving American lives” meme was propaganda….the Japanese were searching for a way to surrender “with honor”
———— WestCoaster
“NO that’s not a fact, that’s an opinion.”————- ASIG
ASIG, you’re wrong. Here’s why;
1) The U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey (a board consisting of more than 1,000 individuals, both military and civilian), was tasked by U.S. Secretary of War Henry Stimson with the examination and analysis of U.S. involvement in WW II. The Survey concluded in 1946 that;
“Japan would have surrendered even if the atomic bombs had not been dropped, even if Russia had not entered the war, and even if no invasion had been planned or contemplated.”
2) In Eisenhower’s autobiography, Mandate for Change (p.380), Eisenhower recalls his reaction to U.S. Secretary of War, Henry Stimson, upon hearing of the successful atomic bomb test in New Mexico, and of the plan to drop an atomic bomb on Japan. Eisenhower told Stimson that he believed;
“that Japan was already defeated, and that dropping the bomb was completely unnecessary”
3) General MacArthur himself said there was no military justification for dropping the bombs.
MacArthur biographer William Manchester has described MacArthur’s reaction to the issuance by the Allies of the Potsdam Proclamation to Japan: “…the Potsdam declaration in July, demand[ed] that Japan surrender unconditionally or face ‘prompt and utter destruction.’ MacArthur was appalled. He knew that the Japanese would never renounce their emperor, and that without him an orderly transition to peace would be impossible anyhow, because his people would never submit to Allied occupation unless he ordered it. Ironically, when the surrender did come, it was conditional, and the condition was a continuation of the imperial reign. Had the General’s advice been followed, the resort to atomic weapons at Hiroshima and Nagasaki would not have been unnecessary.”
MacArthur’s pilot, Weldon E. Rhoades, wrote in his diary one day after the bombs were dropped: “General MacArthur definitely is appalled and depressed by this Frankenstein monster.”
4) Major General Curtis E. LeMay, commanding officer of the Twenty-First Bomber Command, said at a press conference a month after the bombs were dropped that the atomic bomb —- “had nothing to do with the end of the war at all.”
5) Winston Churchill said ————- “It would be a mistake to suppose that the fate of Japan was settled by the atomic bomb. Her defeat was certain before the bomb fell.”
ASIG, I hereby accept your Unconditional Surrender.
“American Military Leaders Urge President Truman not to Drop the Atomic Bomb”
—- http://www.colorado.edu/AmStudies/lewis/2010/atomicdec.htm
“HIROSHIMA: WHO DISAGREED WITH THE ATOMIC BOMBING?
—- http://www.doug-long.com/quotes.htm
Time to fry!
Stucky, FTW (For The Win).
DC, +1000… jingoist never let facts stand in their way in justifying the unjust……way to open one serious can of whoopass on the self-deluded.
@d.c. – “1. The DoD still prevents archival, full-color video of the immediate aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from being revealed, so worried remain those with control that Americans would be totally repulsed by what their government and their military members did.”
Well they are plenty of documentaries on YouTube that include real video of the aftermath. Not sure if color ones are available, however.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8QY5gt1weE&t=18m45s
Did not read all the posts but war is war-hell. I had a neighbor that has long passed away that was a survivor of the Bataan Death March-After the April 9, 1942, U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese during World War II (1939-45), the approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make an arduous 65-mile march to prison camps. The marchers made the trek in intense heat and were subjected to harsh treatment by Japanese guards. Thousands perished in what became known as the Bataan Death March.
So, Stuck seems to be saying that no American lives were saved by the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan.
What a load of hogsnot.
Can anyone SERIOUSLY say that the dropping of the bombs did not save even one American life? Not one American life was saved by ending the war a day , a week, a month early? Not one?
What a fucking joke.
Here is the deal with respect to wars: The least of ours is better than the best of of yours. That is what war is all about – killing the enemy. Patton said you do not win wars by dying for your country, you win wars by making some poor bastard die for his.
The issue is whether the deaths of countless civilians were worth the saving of some American lives. Around 200,000 people were killed by the bombs. That is tragic. Was it worse than Dresden/Hamburg/etc? Yes, but not by much.
After the first bomb, the Japanese decided not to surrender, and to keep fighting, and figured the US would quickly run out of atom bombs. They decided to fight on, despite knowing they would be hit again. They wanted to dictate terms of their surrender – no occupation of Japan, keep the emperor, they would prosecute their own war criminals, and they would do their own disarmament. Not surprisingly, the US was not interested in those terms.
On Aug. 9, Nagasaki was bombed, and on Aug. 12, Japan surrendered. Keeping the emperor was the only condition. If that condition was not met, they intended to fight on.
The US is not clean in WW2, that is for sure. An argument can certainly be made that the US precipitated the entire thing, much as seems to be happening in Ukraine.
But the atomic bombs saved American lives, looking at the war in isolation and not at precipitating causes, of that there is no doubt whatsoever. The war ended 5 days after the bombing of Hiroshima. How many American lives would have been lost in an invasion of Japan? Thousands? Tens of thousands?
Of course the bombings saved American lives. In war, that is what you do – save yours and kill theirs.
“So, Stuck seems to be saying that no American lives were saved by the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan. What a load of hogsnot.” ———— Llpoh
Well …. we had, what, a week of peace between us? Toss that out the window ….
…. YOU’RE FUCKIN’ NUTS IN THE HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!
Where in the goddamn fuck did I say — “no American lives were saved”??? Where????
If the war ended even one day sooner than without dropping da bomb, then OF COURSE some American lives would have been saved. Duh!
The American propaganda machine said the REASON for dropping the bomb was to save American lives. That’s a DIFFERENT argument. And I supplied ample proof from significant politicians and military people that dropping the Bomb was not necessary to end the war. In other words, we did not nuke civilians to “save American lives”. We nuked them because that’s what that shit POTUS wanted. End of story.
“In war, that is what you do – save yours and kill theirs.” ——– Llpoh
That’s just fucking brilliant. The means to do so does not matter. The ends justify the means. That’s what you’re saying. Nuking civilians? No problem-o. Genocide? No problem-o. Fire bombing a civilian city? No problem-o. Torture? No problem-o. Just win, baby!
Sick bastard.
So let me ask you this. WHY DOES ANDREW JACKSON PISS YOU OFF?? The US government was at war with the Indians. Fuck ’em. Scaslp ’em. Kill every last fucking one of them. It’s war, after all.
But, nooooo … you don’t feel that way when YOUR people’s ass is in the pot. Other people? Fuck ’em. My people? Noooooo!
.
I’ve been shoveling all morning, two houses. Spent the afternoon with mom. And Ms. Freud just got done with her last client. So, the last thing she wants me to do is ignore her by sitting in front of the computer. So, I’m done for the evening, sadly.
Looking forward to tomorrow morning … to read your lame-ass responses. Or, maybe you’ll apologize for lying. But, I doubt it. Flame away, Chief Warmonger.
DC – not quite right on the facts. The Japs did not just have the one condition – they sought the 4 I previously described. Even after the first bomb, and the second, they refused to give up the empire. The rulers were more than happy to sacrifice their people in order to preserve the emperor and the other royalty. Does that sound familiar?
A family friend survived the Bataan death march. Well, at least some of him did. He was missing a few body parts, but hey, he was alive. And I can tell you, he had no problem with bombs being dropped on Japan – atomic or otherwise. Another friend told of the number of Americans he found executed with their hands wired behind their backs. They – his unit – in the end gave no quarter to the Japanese. They took no prisoners, and killed all Japanese soldiers they encountered, owing to the atrocities they had seen committed. Ill treatment lead to ill treatment. But he was unapologetic. And he had no trouble with the bombing. As a matter of fact, I never met a WW2 vet that did.
The Japs were incredibly vicious and evil. Rape, murder, slaughter, torture – you name it, they did it. On a massive scale. If the war had continued, more POWs would have died, more civilians would have been subjected to their barbarity, more people would have been murdered.
We are discussing this from a modern viewpoint. If you could ask those involved at the time, the positions would be far different.
Stucky
Few people on this site are students of AND participants in warfare. I am, and I missed your point between Hiroshima and today’s threat of nuclear warfare with Russia.
When you wake up tomorrow, I’m sure you’ll be glad to explain. Sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite.
Stuck – the US was not at war with the Indians. There were treaties in place – remember?
Stuck – you seem to not understand war. It is about killing and destroying. They try to kill you, you try to kill them. Industrial capacity is a legitimate target, for instance. If you know a way to keep civilians out of it, I would love to hear it. It is not possible. I did not mention torture. But I can assure you, if they torture ours, we will indeed torture theirs. Try to tell soldiers to be humane when they see their buddies slaughtered and tortured and burned and beheaded. Nope, it will not work.
Was the nuking worse than the firebombing? Was it worse than the 10 million civilians killed as a result of the Japanese aggression? Worse than the treatment of the POWs?
Do you think that one side can fight a war using Marquis de Queensbury while the other kills, murders, rapes, tortures, starves, drowns all it encounters? Really? Good luck with that.
How naive you are.
I believe in absolutely staying out of wars. But if it is war you have, then make no mistake, war is indeed hell, and you have to try to win. You have to meet fire with fire. It is not good to lose a war, especially not to folks like the Japanese were. They would not have been kind, gentle victors. Ask the Chinese and any remaining POWs how it was to have Japanese victors.
BTW, Stuck – I said “seems to be saying”. I left room in there for you to correct me or explain further. Which you did. Or you backpedalled. Not sure which, but because I am such a good fellow, I will assume the first.
Damn it Stuck, if I cannot fight with you, who can I fight with. There are just so few worthy challengers.
Thoughts on this thread…
LeMay was quoted as saying something to the effect of “It’s a good thing we’re going to win this war. Otherwise, we would be prosecuted as war criminals”…
The reason why there were two atomic bombs dropped on Japan was because Germany surrendered. The first one was earmarked for Berlin. When the Germans surrendered, we ended up with an extra bomb… so Japan got fucked twice.
Up until the Clinton Administration, both Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings were classified by the Americans as “tests”, not acts of war. Reason being was because we really didn’t know if they would work or not. A Japanese delegation to the US found out about it and – to put it nicely – went to Clinton and raised holy hell. Clinton had the classification changed.
Those who say shit like ‘If not for “X”, we’d all be speaking German/Russian/Japanese by now!” are fucking deluded. No other way to say it.
War is what it is. There is no “nice” way to conduct it. Civilians will always be caught in the way, and that sucks, but it’s the way it’s always been. That’s not to say that civilians should be targeted. They shouldn’t. Ever. Only legitimate military targets. Firebombing cities until you obtain a firestorm that sucks in men, women and children with hurricane force winds is an abomination…
dc- This…
“The USA’s government has gotten massively larger and massively more intrusive with EACH WAR, never shrinking down to its pre-war size in what Robert Higgs calls “the ratchet effect.”
was a very powerful point.
Stuck- excellent post, the nuclear bomber meets the bombee, rich.
dc,
The thing that hasn’t changed is that the money-changers since well before the time of Christ, have been in control.
They have issued much credit- much to the delight of the ignorant masses (and moreso the oligarchs). Now, the bill is due, and neither the oligarchs or the ignorant masses can pay.
Fun times!