THEFOLLOWING IS A REPRINT OF ARTICLE WRITTEN BY JAY C. LA SUER OCTOBER 1995. HE ISA GRADUATE OF SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY AND THE FBI NATIONAL ACADEMY. HERETIRED AFTER 31 YEARS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT.
THEONLY REASONABLE DECISION
INORDERING THE ATOMIC BOMBING OF JAPAN PRESIDENT TRUMAN MADE THE ONLY REASONABLEDECISION. HISTORY IS A GREAT TEACHER. IF WE FAMILIARIZE OURSELVES WITH THEPITFALLS MANKIND HAS STUMBLED INTO, WE CAN SURVIVE AND FLOURISH BY NOT REPEATINGEARLIER MISTAKES. BUT HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE. HOW CAN OUR CHILDREN BENEFIT FROMTHE LESSONS OF THE PAST IF WE CONTINUALLY CHANGE THE FACTS OF THE PAST?
MANYARE TAUGHT AND BELIEVE THAT THE HOLOCAUST NEVER HAPPENED, AND WE ARE CURRENTLYEXPERIENCING ANOTHER BOLD ATTEMPT TO CHANGE THE FACTS OF HISTORY, A CHANGE THATPLACES AMERICA IN THE ROLE OF AN UNMERCIFUL, EVIL EMPIRE THAT KILLED THOUSANDSOF INNOCENT JAPANESE DURING THE LATTER DAYS OF WORLD WAR 11. SOME PEOPLEACTUALLY BELIEVE OUR NATION SHOULD HAVE SACRIFICED THOUSANDS OF AMERICANSERVICEMEN BY INVADING THE ISLAND OF JAPAN
CONSIDERTHAT JAPAN HAD TWO MILLION COMBAT TROOPS WAITING FOR OUR INVASION. CONSIDER ALSOTHAT, IN RESERVE, JAPAN HAD FOUR MILLION CIVILIAN WORKERS AND THAT THE JAPANESECABINET HAD ALREADY APPROVED THE DRAFTING OF ALL REMAINING MEN BETWEEN THE AGESOF 17 AND 45 FOR A FINAL FORCE OF 28 MILLION PEOPLE ARMED WITH SHARPENED BAMBOOSPEARS AND HAND GRENADES.
AREWE TO FORGET:
*THAT THE JAPANESE KAMIKAZE CORPS HAD STOCKPILED FUEL AND ARMAMENTS FOR NEARLY5500 SUICIDE AIRCRAFT TO LAUNCH AGAINST INVADING AMERICAN FORCES?
*THATOUR MARINES SUFFERED NEARLY 26000 CASUALTIES CAPTURING AN EIGHT MILE ISLAND OFVOLCANIC ASH CALLED IWO JIMA?
*THATOUR NATION LOST 34 WARSHIPS FROM KAMIKAZE AT OKINAWA WITH ANOTHER 368 DAMAGED AND COUNTLESS AMERICAN LIVES LOST?
*THAT OVER 2,000 AMERICAN LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE COWARDLY SNEAK ATTACK ON PEARLHARBOR BY JAPAN?
*THATTHE BATAAN DEARTH MARCH COST THE LIVES OF SO MANY AMERICAN AND FILIPINOPRISONERS OF WAR?
*THATUNTOLD THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN FIGHTING MEN WERE KILLED BY THE JAPANESE?
*THAT ATROCITIES WERE PERFORMED BY THE JAPANESE AGAINST THE CHINESE?
*THAT ATROCITIES WERE PERFORMED BY THE JAPANESE AGAINST THE KOREANS?
*THAT THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN HAD SIGNED AN ORDER CONDEMNING TO DEATH ALL AMERICANPRISONERS OF WAR, & THEIR EXECUTION TO OCCUR IMMEDIATELY UPON THE INVASIONOF JAPAN?
*THATAFTER THE SECOND ATOMIC BOMB, DROPPED ON NAGASAKI, THE JAPANESE WAR MINISTER,GENERAL KORECHIKI ANAMI, STATED IT WAS FAR TO EARLY TO SAY THE WAR WAS OVER? HEBELIEVES JAPAN COULD REVERSE THE TREND OF THE WAR AND SNATCH VICTORY FROMDEFEAT. GENERAL ANAMI WANTED ONE FINAL, GREAT BATTLE ON JAPANESE SOIL."WOULD IT NOT BE WONDROUS FOR THIS NATION TO BE DESTROYED LIKE A BEAUTIFULFLOWER? HE STATED.
*THUSAS THE USS MISSOURI SAILED INTO TOKYO BAY TO ACCEPT THE SURRENDER OF JAPAN, ALAST DITCH EFFORT WAS IN THE WORKS BY KAMIKAZE PILOTS TO SINK THE GREATBATTLESHIP? ADDITIONALLY, JAPANESE FIGHTER PILOTS WERE IN THEIR AIRCRAFT WAITINGTO TAKE OFF TO STRAFE THE SINKING BATTLESHIP IN HOPES OF KILLING BOTH ADMIRALNIMITZ AND GENERAL MAC ARTHUR.
*THATJAPAN WAS OFFERED THE OPPORTUNITY FOR UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER? CONTAINED WITHINTHE OFFER WERE GUARANTEE OF HUMANE TREATMENT, FREEDOM OF SPEECH, RELIGION ANDTHOUGHT, WORLD TRADE, AND NO RECRIMINATION. THE JAPANESE REPLIED IN THENEGATIVE.
AREWE TO FORGET THESE FACTS? I THINK NOT, NOR SHALL I ALLOW MY CHILDREN TO FORGETTHEM. AMERICANS OF ALL FAITHS, ALL RACES, AND ALL AGES, VOLUNTEERED TO FIGHT THEAXIS POWERS TO KEEP INTACT OUR FREEDOM AND THE LIBERTY OF FREEDOM - LOVINGPEOPLES EVERYWHERE. TODAY, FALLEN AMERICAN HEROES LIE BURIED IN CEMETERIESAROUND THE WORLD, TESTIFYING TO THEIR BRAVERY, AND THEIR LOVE OF COUNTRY ANDFREEDOM.
AREWE TO BETRAY THESE HEROES OF AMERICA? EVERY FIBER IN MY HEART AND MIND SCREAM ATHUNDEROUS "NO".
AREWE TO TELL THE MEN WHOSE LIVES WERE SPARED, WHO WAITED TO INVADE THE ISLAND OFJAPAN THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE DIED? THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE NEVER TASTED FREEDOMAGAIN? THAT THEY SHOULD NOT HAVEBEEN ALLOWED TO EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF RAISING THEIR CHILDREN, NOR THE HAPPINESSOF EXPERIENCING THEIR GRANDCHILDREN? AGAIN MY MIND AND HEART SHOUTS A THUNDEROUS"NO"!
INA LETTER TO PROFESSOR JAMES L. CATE, A HISTORY PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OFCHICAGO, PRESIDENT HARRY S. TRUMAN STATED VERY SIMPLY AND ELOQUENTLY WHY HEORDERED THE DROPPING OF THE TWO ATOMIC BOMBS ON JAPAN: "DROPPING THE BOMBSENDED THE WAR, SAVED LIVES."
PRESIDENTTRUMAN CONSULTED HIS ADVISORS PRIOR TO MAKING HIS DECISION. AT THE MEETING WERESECRETARY OF WAR HENRY L. STIMSON, CHIEF OF STAFF ADMIRAL WILLIAM D. LEAHY,GENERAL GEORGE C. MARSHALL, GENERAL DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, ADMIRAL ERNEST J.KING, AND OTHERS.
WHENPRESIDENT TRUMAN INQUIRED OF GENERAL MARSHALL WHAT IT WOULD COST IN LIVES TOINVADE JAPAN, IT WAS GENERAL MARSHALL'S OPINION THAT SUCH AN INVASION WOULDCOST, AT A MINIMUM, ONE QUARTER OF A MILLION CASUALTIES, AND MIGHT COST AS MUCHAS A MILLION ON THE AMERICAN SIDE ALONE, WITH AN EQUAL NUMBER OF ENEMY.
THEOTHER MILITARY AND NAVAL MEN PRESENT AGREED. A FEW WOULD LATER DISAGREE WITH THEPRESIDENT'S DECISION TO DROP THE ATOMIC BOMBS, BUT ALL AGREED WITH GENERALGEORGE C. MARSHALL'S CASUALTY ESTIMATES. PRESIDENT TRUMAN MADE THE ONLY LOGICALDECISION AVAILABLE TO HIM. IN DOING SO, HE SAVED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OFAMERICAN AS WELL AS JAPANESE LIVES!
THESEFACTS WE NEED TO REMEMBER! THESE FACTS WE MUST TEACH OUR CHILDREN THAT THEY MAYTEACH THEIR CHILDREN AND THEIR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN.
WEALLOW THE MISTAKES OF THE PAST TO BE MADE AGAIN IF WE FORGET THE TRUTH AND ALLOWREVISIONISTS TO CHANGE HISTORY THAT WAS WRITTEN WITH AMERICAN BLOOD ON FORWARDBATTLEFIELDS AROUND THE WORLD.
IFOR ONE SAY, "NO! THIS SHALL NOT HAPPEN BY MY SILENCE!
IAM NOT ADVOCATING THAT TODAY, WE STILL CONSIDER JAPAN AS OUR ENEMY; I AMADVOCATING THAT WE REMEMBER THE FACTS OF OUR HISTORY AND LEARN FROM THEM.
GODBLESS AMERICA