From: Tim Merry (timmerry@SHOAL.NET.AU)
Date: Sat Apr 10 1999 - 11:53:34 PDT
At 07:01 AM 9/04/1999 -0700, Terry Healy wrote:
>>From Cara:
>Did you think that dropping the bomb on Hiroshima was
>right or wrong? What do you think now?
Hello Cara,
At the time - well, it was the best thing that could have
happened! Your question suggests that you don't altogether
approve of 'the bomb'. I can understand that, especially
in the light of what we now know about its side-effects.
But consider: the war had been going on since 1939 for most
of us; and the Japanese were fanatical in their ways, and
had absolutely no respect for others (like me); they were not
likely to say "enough is enough, let's stop fighting and make
friends" - not a bit of it! They would fight to the bitter
end - and that would mean for me, personally, an uncomfortable
voyage to the Far East, followed by more hand-to-hand fighting
in the jungles and mountains - for years. I'd have contracted
tropical diseases of one sort or another; and probably been
wounded, or killed. And even had I survived I'd have been
physically and mentally scarred, and been fit for nothing.
Can you imagine that?
So, yes, it was right to have dropped the bomb! Two things
you should bear in mind: first, whether one is killed or
maimed by a 'big' bomb or a small bomb makes no difference
to the person affected - even an old-fashioned hand-grenade
can do terrible things to you, and so can an ordinary bullet.
We cannot say we approve of small bombs, but disapprove of
big bombs - makes no sense; secondly, you may feel that
'innocent' civilians should not have been targeted. Do you?
You see, Cara, there are no innocent civilians - not really,
because they either appointed their political masters or in
any event applauded them when their side was winning! After
all, it's hardly fair to say a young man pushed into the army
is guilty (and it's okay to kill him), but the people who
pushed him in are innocent. Think about it, Cara, and if
you don't agree.......just try to forgive me.
What do I think now? It was unquestionably the right thing
to have done at the time. It stopped that long and ghastly
war immediately!!! It was a veritable sine qua non.
>>From Jessie: Do you think the bomb would have been
>made if Japan had offered a conditional surrender?
Hello Jessie,
Good question. I'm afraid so. The Germans were well on the
way to developing the bomb, and for this reason the US made
the decision to push ahead with its own bomb - and just as
well. But would it have been dropped if Japan had offered
a conditional surrender? I think it might have postponed
the dropping; but you see the allies had resolved that they
would never accept a conditional surrender from Germany
(which meant that the war in Europe went on for longer
than it might have), so for the same good reasons Japan would
have had to surrender without conditions. But would they
have surrendered before the bomb? I doubt it very much.
They were fanatics remember, and were probably unaware of
'the 'bomb', which was kept pretty secret after all. So I
think what happened had to happen. War is bad news, and the
people who start wars are bad news too.
Just think about it, Jessie. There are no easy solutions
in this world so long as people are greedy and care nothing
for other people. Which is where we're at today, I regret
to say.
Our best hope is that the young people of today - like you,
Jessie, and you Cara - can adopt an attitude which includes
respect for others wherever they may be.
Well, that's all for now. My best wishes to both you girls,
and remember -
"This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow as night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man."
(Polonius's advice to his son, in
Skakespeare's HAMLET)
Be well and happy,
Tim
PS. I've just remembered something. In my TM.1 I
talked about my school days, and mentioned that our
German-language masters had both left as soon as the
war started: well, I heard much later that one of
them (who happened to be our school padre) had joined
the Parachute Regiment, had dropped with his men just
east of the river Rhine towards the end of March 1945
(when the invasion of Germany began), and had lost
his life. He was a really nice man. Tim