not so happy anniversary

60 years ago today, the Harry S. Truman administration decided to drop an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. This was a momentous event in the course of history, both American and human. Yet, for some reason, it is not the primary image remembered by most Americans when they think of WWII.

At the History News Network, an article from Ascribe has been posted that looks at this issue of what we remember about WWII and why. In a different article at the same site, Leo Maley III and Uday Mohan make the case that the time has come for Americans in general and conservative Americans in particular to confront the reality and enormity of the decision that was made 60 years ago.

Some Americans recall the event with shame and express their fervent hope that nuclear weapons never be used again. Others firmly believe that the use of atomic bombs saved American lives by ending the war prior to a bloody American invasion of Japan. More challenging to consider is whether it was an unjustifiable act in a fully justified war. . . .

Our failure to grapple fully with the ethical questions stemming from our use of mass violence against civilians has meant that we unwittingly endorse an act that some would consider state terror. We rightly expect Germany and Japan to confront painful episodes from their participation in World War II. Now it's our turn.

At the L.A. Times,' Max Boot points out the practical unanimity of agreement among Americans at the time that this was a wise decision. He also questions the lethality of the atom bomb when compared to other measures used by the military during WWII. In a similar fashion, Yuki Tanaka compares the destruction wrought by the atom bomb with that of the firebombs and the vigorous aerial campaigns conducted with them.

While I agree with both authors that in terms of the human death toll, dropping the atom bomb may not have been considerably more devastating than many of the other horrifying tactics used during the "Great War," I also think that it is very convenient to look at the results and compare what occurred with what came before. (I refuse to use a cliche about hindsight here)

The main thing about the atom bomb though is that no one knew what would happen. For all intents and purposes, it was a science experiment conducted on a civilian population. So, sure, numerically there may have been fewer deaths, but aren't we really just lucky that it worked out that way?