[BikerNYC]

Well, I guess I would yield to the Committee that considered potential targets. The minutes of the targeting committee on May 10-11, 1945 indicate the following:

6. Status of Targets

A. Dr. Stearns described the work he had done on target selection. He has surveyed possible targets possessing the following qualification: (1) they be important targets in a large urban area of more than three miles in diameter, (2) they be capable of being damaged effectively by a blast, and (3) they are unlikely to be attacked by next August. Dr. Stearns had a list of five targets which the Air Force would be willing to reserve for our use unless unforeseen circumstances arise. These targets are:

(1) Kyoto - This target is an urban industrial area with a population of 1,000,000. It is the former capital of Japan and many people and industries are now being moved there as other areas are being destroyed. From the psychological point of view there is the advantage that Kyoto is an intellectual center for Japan and the people there are more apt to appreciate the significance of such a weapon as the gadget. (Classified as an AA Target)

The Committee then recommended Kyoto as their number one pick.

It seems to me that the primary criteria for picking a target, "they be important targets in a large urban area of more than three miles in diameter," is essentially a directive, not to bomb factories, but to bomb people.

I'm not criticizing that decision, I think it was necessary, but the pattern of targeting civilians in WWII, by all sides of that war, is something we are living with today.

[APFel]

I'm not criticizing that decision, I think it was necessary, but the pattern of targeting civilians in WWII, by all sides of that war, is something we are living with today.

And I completely agree. I just felt the need to pick nits. :)

APf