Truman was right

Something odd is going on in America. Back in a time before underwear was a fashion accessory and people were actually embarrassed if the top of their underwear showed above their trousers, 87% of Americans approved of our use of nuclear weapons on Japan. Today that number is only 47%. For a bit of context, a week or so before we dropped Fat Boy and Little Boy, America had suffered over 20,000 casualties on a dot in the Pacific called Okinawa. Okinawa was instructive because the Okinawans had little loyalty to Japan. Yet the island still cost America 20,000 casualties. If we suffered 20,000 casualties on an island with a population that was hostile to Japan, how would we have faired on the mainland where the population was fanatically loyal to the emperor?

My dad used to be of the opinion that “the bomb” was unnecessary. We could have blockaded the mainland shelled them from the sea and air and brought about an end to the war without the use of nuclear weapons. That may be true but little attention is given to the fact that the fire bombings of Tokyo and Dresden caused more casualties than the nuclear bombs. So what was to be gained by bombing Japan for months on end from the sea and air? The only thing to be gained was more casualties in all probability. Also, while it is clear the Japanese people were quite ready to throw in the towel, the Japanese leadership was far from it and it’s the leadership that calls the shots.

In my modest gun collection I have a “last ditch” Arisika rifle. The Arisika was the Japanese equivalent of our M1 rifle. Most were well made, accurate, reliable and sturdy. The “last ditch” model got its name because it was not well made, accurate, reliable or sturdy. It has all the appearances of the early Arisikas from a distance but on close examination the stock is crude like a high school wood shop project. The rifle has iron fixed sights, which would never do for modern warfare. On mine the front sight is actually slightly bent. The parts catch and have to be forced rather than slide smoothly like on a well made piece. These “last ditch” Arisiakas were made quickly and haphazardly by the 100,000s to arm every man woman and child on the mainland who could tote a weapon. There is little doubt that any invasion of the Japanese mainland would have met stiff resistance and huge US as well as Japanese casualties.

Now, in the white hot light of history, from the comfort of a classroom, the kitchen table or trendy bar, where nothing is at stake the same Americans that call for withdrawal from Iraq because the Marines suffered 21 casualties last week ignore the 20,000 casualties on Okinawa and say they would have been willing to sustain an estimated 7,000 a week for a year or more to invade Japan and avoid the use of nuclear weapons. As Bob Novak might say, bull excement.

Truman made the right choice. If he were running the “war” on terror today, among other things; former employees of Al Jazeera would still be thanking Allah that they were not on duty the day the whole operation was turned into a smoldering ash pit; citizens of Tehran would have three times daily duck and cover drills in preparation for what they think of as the inevitable; Basher Assad’s picture would grace the back of every milk carton in the Middle East and Palestine would be an Israeli suburb.