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Historical
See other Historical Articles Title: U.S. military leaders in World War II had consensus on the atomic bomb
Source:
Washington Post
URL Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/05/22/debate-hiroshima/
Published: May 24, 2023
Author: Bruce Fein
Post Date: 2023-05-24 21:48:07 by Charles_Byrd
Keywords: None
Views: 26
Historians might debate whether the atomic bombing of Japan was necessary to secure its surrender, but U.S. military leaders in World War II did not. Their consensus was no, if Emperor Hirohito was permitted a titular role in a post-surrender Japanese government. President Harry S. Truman accepted that idea, but only after atomic bombs had been dropped. Adm. William D. Leahy elaborated: “The use of this barbarous weapon at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan. The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender. … My own feeling was that in being the first to use it, we had adopted an ethical standard common to the barbarians of the Dark Ages. I was not taught to make war in that fashion, and wars cannot be won by destroying women and children.” Click for Full Text! Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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