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THE
FOLLOWING IS A REPRINT OF ARTICLE WRITTEN BY JAY C. LA SUER OCTOBER 1995. HE IS
A GRADUATE OF SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY AND THE FBI NATIONAL ACADEMY. HE
RETIRED AFTER 31 YEARS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT. THE
ONLY REASONABLE DECISION IN
ORDERING THE ATOMIC BOMBING OF JAPAN PRESIDENT TRUMAN MADE THE ONLY REASONABLE
DECISION. HISTORY IS A GREAT TEACHER. IF WE FAMILIARIZE OURSELVES WITH THE
PITFALLS MANKIND HAS STUMBLED INTO, WE CAN SURVIVE AND FLOURISH BY NOT REPEATING
EARLIER MISTAKES. BUT HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE. HOW CAN OUR CHILDREN BENEFIT FROM
THE LESSONS OF THE PAST IF WE CONTINUALLY CHANGE THE FACTS OF THE PAST? MANY
ARE TAUGHT AND BELIEVE THAT THE HOLOCAUST NEVER HAPPENED, AND WE ARE CURRENTLY
EXPERIENCING ANOTHER BOLD ATTEMPT TO CHANGE THE FACTS OF HISTORY, A CHANGE THAT
PLACES AMERICA IN THE ROLE OF AN UNMERCIFUL, EVIL EMPIRE THAT KILLED THOUSANDS
OF INNOCENT JAPANESE DURING THE LATTER DAYS OF WORLD WAR 11. SOME PEOPLE
ACTUALLY BELIEVE OUR NATION SHOULD HAVE SACRIFICED THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN
SERVICEMEN BY INVADING THE ISLAND OF JAPAN CONSIDER
THAT JAPAN HAD TWO MILLION COMBAT TROOPS WAITING FOR OUR INVASION. CONSIDER ALSO
THAT, IN RESERVE, JAPAN HAD FOUR MILLION CIVILIAN WORKERS AND THAT THE JAPANESE
CABINET HAD ALREADY APPROVED THE DRAFTING OF ALL REMAINING MEN BETWEEN THE AGES
OF 17 AND 45 FOR A FINAL FORCE OF 28 MILLION PEOPLE ARMED WITH SHARPENED BAMBOO
SPEARS AND HAND GRENADES. ARE
WE TO FORGET: *
THAT THE JAPANESE KAMIKAZE CORPS HAD STOCKPILED FUEL AND ARMAMENTS FOR NEARLY
5500 SUICIDE AIRCRAFT TO LAUNCH AGAINST INVADING AMERICAN FORCES? *THAT
OUR MARINES SUFFERED NEARLY 26000 CASUALTIES CAPTURING AN EIGHT MILE ISLAND OF
VOLCANIC ASH CALLED IWO JIMA? *THAT
OUR 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 PEARL
HARBOR BY JAPAN? *THAT
THE BATAAN DEARTH MARCH COST THE LIVES OF SO MANY
AMERICAN AND FILIPINO
PRISONERS OF WAR?
*THAT
UNTOLD 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 AMERICAN
PRISONERS OF WAR, & THEIR EXECUTION TO OCCUR IMMEDIATELY UPON THE INVASION
OF JAPAN? *THAT
AFTER 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? HE
BELIEVES JAPAN COULD REVERSE THE TREND OF THE WAR AND SNATCH VICTORY FROM
DEFEAT. GENERAL ANAMI WANTED ONE FINAL, GREAT BATTLE ON JAPANESE SOIL.
"WOULD IT NOT BE WONDROUS FOR THIS NATION TO BE DESTROYED LIKE A BEAUTIFUL
FLOWER? HE STATED. *THUS
AS THE USS MISSOURI SAILED INTO TOKYO BAY TO ACCEPT THE SURRENDER OF JAPAN, A
LAST DITCH EFFORT WAS IN THE WORKS BY KAMIKAZE PILOTS TO SINK THE GREAT
BATTLESHIP? ADDITIONALLY, JAPANESE FIGHTER PILOTS WERE IN THEIR AIRCRAFT WAITING
TO TAKE OFF TO STRAFE THE SINKING BATTLESHIP IN HOPES OF KILLING BOTH ADMIRAL
NIMITZ AND GENERAL MAC ARTHUR. *THAT
JAPAN WAS OFFERED THE OPPORTUNITY FOR UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER? CONTAINED WITHIN
THE OFFER WERE GUARANTEE OF HUMANE TREATMENT, FREEDOM OF SPEECH, RELIGION AND
THOUGHT, WORLD TRADE, AND NO RECRIMINATION. THE JAPANESE REPLIED IN THE
NEGATIVE. ARE
WE TO FORGET THESE FACTS? I THINK NOT, NOR SHALL I ALLOW MY CHILDREN TO FORGET
THEM. AMERICANS OF ALL FAITHS, ALL RACES, AND ALL AGES, VOLUNTEERED TO FIGHT THE
AXIS POWERS TO KEEP INTACT OUR FREEDOM AND THE LIBERTY OF FREEDOM - LOVING
PEOPLES EVERYWHERE. TODAY, FALLEN AMERICAN HEROES LIE BURIED IN CEMETERIES
AROUND THE WORLD, TESTIFYING TO THEIR BRAVERY, AND THEIR LOVE OF COUNTRY AND
FREEDOM. ARE
WE TO BETRAY THESE HEROES OF AMERICA? EVERY FIBER IN MY HEART AND MIND SCREAM A
THUNDEROUS "NO". ARE
WE TO TELL THE MEN WHOSE LIVES WERE SPARED, WHO WAITED TO INVADE THE ISLAND OF
JAPAN THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE DIED? THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE NEVER TASTED FREEDOM
AGAIN? THAT THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE
BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF RAISING THEIR CHILDREN, NOR THE HAPPINESS
OF EXPERIENCING THEIR GRANDCHILDREN? AGAIN MY MIND AND HEART SHOUTS A THUNDEROUS
"NO"! IN
A LETTER TO PROFESSOR JAMES L. CATE, A HISTORY PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
CHICAGO, PRESIDENT HARRY S. TRUMAN STATED VERY SIMPLY AND ELOQUENTLY WHY HE
ORDERED THE DROPPING OF THE TWO ATOMIC BOMBS ON JAPAN: "DROPPING THE BOMBS
ENDED THE WAR, SAVED LIVES." PRESIDENT
TRUMAN CONSULTED HIS ADVISORS PRIOR TO MAKING HIS DECISION. AT THE MEETING WERE
SECRETARY 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. WHEN
PRESIDENT TRUMAN INQUIRED OF GENERAL MARSHALL WHAT IT WOULD COST IN LIVES TO
INVADE JAPAN, IT WAS GENERAL MARSHALL'S OPINION THAT SUCH AN INVASION WOULD
COST, AT A MINIMUM, ONE QUARTER OF A MILLION CASUALTIES, AND MIGHT COST AS MUCH
AS A MILLION ON THE AMERICAN SIDE ALONE, WITH AN EQUAL NUMBER OF ENEMY. THE
OTHER MILITARY AND NAVAL MEN PRESENT AGREED. A FEW WOULD LATER DISAGREE WITH THE
PRESIDENT'S DECISION TO DROP THE ATOMIC BOMBS, BUT ALL AGREED WITH GENERAL
GEORGE C. MARSHALL'S CASUALTY ESTIMATES. PRESIDENT TRUMAN MADE THE ONLY LOGICAL
DECISION AVAILABLE TO HIM. IN DOING SO, HE SAVED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF
AMERICAN AS WELL AS JAPANESE LIVES! THESE
FACTS WE NEED TO REMEMBER! THESE FACTS WE MUST TEACH OUR CHILDREN THAT THEY MAY
TEACH THEIR CHILDREN AND THEIR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN. WE
ALLOW THE MISTAKES OF THE PAST TO BE MADE AGAIN IF WE FORGET THE TRUTH AND ALLOW
REVISIONISTS TO CHANGE HISTORY THAT WAS WRITTEN WITH AMERICAN BLOOD ON FORWARD
BATTLEFIELDS AROUND THE WORLD. I
FOR ONE SAY, "NO! THIS SHALL NOT HAPPEN BY MY SILENCE! I
AM NOT ADVOCATING THAT TODAY, WE STILL CONSIDER JAPAN AS OUR ENEMY; I AM
ADVOCATING THAT WE REMEMBER THE FACTS OF OUR HISTORY AND LEARN FROM THEM. GOD BLESS AMERICA |
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