American Spreads Hiroshima Legacy (traitor barf alert)

AP ^ | 8/4/2007 | CATHY BUSSEWITZ

[enraged]

Sixty-two years later, the memory of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima still holds such a grip on Japan that its defense minister has had to resign simply for suggesting the attack was "unavoidable."

Now, in a sign of changing times, the task of spreading Hiroshima's message to the world has been entrusted to an American, a citizen of the country that dropped the bomb on Aug. 6, 1945.

[enraged]

Usual claim here, "Japan was finished, USA bad"

"There have been some people outside Hiroshima who have written letters complaining after my appointment got into the national press. But really very few," he said.

Maybe we can work on that....

[snowsislander]

The link doesn’t seem to take me to any article; instead, it takes me to a page of article summaries, and I didn’t notice the referenced article there in the summaries.

[snowsislander]

I tried a second time, and it does this time. Sorry for any confusion.

[rabscuttle385]

Try this link.

[Psycho_Bunny]

The very definition of BS.

[goldstategop]

The Japanese were NOT innocent. They started the war. And I agree with President Truman the United States was not going to risk two million American lives on an invasion of the Japanese home islands when there was a faster - and more moral way - to drive home to the Japanese the senselessness of their continued resistance in the face of certain defeat.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[TheDon]

"Everybody knows on the left and the right that Japan was finished at the time the bomb was dropped," Leeper said.

Everybody except the Japanese. Even after the atomic bombing of two Japanese cities, the military still did not want to surrender. Only the emperor was able to stop the military, and only just barely.

Leeper is just another "war never solved anything" nut.

[muawiyah]

Just one of those funny little beliefs the Japanese have. Fact is the Japanese government waited until we had dropped TWO DIFFERENT KINDS OF BOMBS, both an uranium and a plutonium bomb, before deciding it was time to surrender.

They did not, of course, know that we didn't have a lot more such bombs but they did know everything they needed to know about both kinds to manufacture them themselves (given sufficient time).

They simply didn't have enough time but knew we had immense capacity if we could build both kinds.

Remember, they had their own atom bomb program, a good deal of which was located in what is now North Korea.

[goldstategop]

War solves the problem of aggression. Try explaining that to liberals ignorant of history.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[tennteacher]

History rewritten.

“Everyone knows”? Anyone who knows the character of Truman also knows that he ordered the bombing only after Japan refused to surrender after being warned of the consequences - and with great reluctance.

And “everyone” seems to have forgotten Pearl Harbor.

[mainepatsfan]

There was an attempted coup to prevent the “shame” of defeat.

[snowsislander]

The article is just leftist opinion posing as "journalism".

The author Bussewitz, for instance, asserts "Leeper shares the view of most Japanese: that Japan had already lost the war and that the bombing of Hiroshima, and of Nagasaki three days later, was wrong and unnecessary" but doesn't bother to give a single statistic supporting that very broad assertion about all Japanese citizens' beliefs.

From looking at her web page at Berkeley, the author appears to be a recent graduate of Berkeley's Journalism School:

---

Experience	Intern, PBS/Frontline, Berkeley, CA, June 2005-present Wrote article for Frontline website about information sharing between local and federal law enforcement. Conducted investigative research on government restructuring, prepared questions for on-camera interviews, did background research and checked facts, shot digital photos for website, and assisted with shoots for documentary. Freelance Journalist, Berkeley, CA, September 2005-present Contributed features and articles to the Oakland Tribune and East Bay Daily News. Produced television packages for UCTV on the rising cost of water, the growth of parolees in the trucking industry, and an annual quest for love. Logged, digitized and transcribed tapes for Frontline/World. Politics Intern, NY 1 News, New York, NY, June 200 -September 2004 Cut video montages and sound bytes, wrote teases and short stories for nightly political news program, assisted reporters in field, contributed research, guest ideas and production assistance during 2004 presidential campaigns and conventions. Reporting Intern, City/State Dept., The Village Voice, New York, NY, January 2003-May 2003 Conducted interviews and research as lead intern for investigation into union benefits funds, compared bid documents, analyzed campaign contributions and government policies, covered press conferences, filed FOIL letters, obtained court files and public records, contributed reporting for weekly column on city and state politics. Earned special reporting by-line for work on series. Community Reporter, The Independent, New York, NY, May 2002-October 2002 Reported and wrote articles on community gardens, open space, sexual harassment, and community issues. Contributed photos, edited copy, and conducted outreach and distribution Paralegal, Kaye Scholer LLP, New York, NY, November 2002-July 2005 Managed paralegals, medical analysts, local counsel in discovery phase of multi-party litigation. Research Assistant, Young and Rubicam, New York, NY, September 1999-November 2001 Coordinated international study of brand personality, analyzed data to report changes in consumer behavior utilizing personality tests and statistics, spent three months in London office.
Education	University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism MJ expected May 2007 Syracuse University, Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs BA, English; BA, Policy Studies, 1997
Awards	Chancellor's Award for Public Service in Community Service Leadership, Syracuse University, 1997; Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors, 2003-present
Skills	FinalCut Pro, Panasonic DSR, Sony PD 150, Lexis-Nexis, Microsoft Office
References	Wayne Barrett, Senior Editor, The Village Voice Robert Hardt, Politcs Director, NY1 News Rob Gunnison, Director of School Affairs, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
	Last updated: February 08 2007.

---

[muawiyah]

Note: My next immediate posting. The Japanese government (army and navy included) surrendered AFTER they determined they'd been hit with both an uranium and plutonium bomb.

That's the reason for the delay ~ to send out the investigatory team to verify the type of bombs used.

The background reason for Truman's decision was quite simple ~ any country that had the capability of investigating these events and determining which type of bombs were used could make them given enough time.

The war had to be ended by all means ~ not just 2 million troops were at stake ~ hundreds of millions of Americans, Europeans and Asians' lives were at stake should the Japanese complete their own atom bomb development program and restart their conquests.

They need not have built a single bomb to be a real threat in the nearterm future.

[oh8eleven]

"Everybody knows on the left and the right that Japan was finished at the time the bomb was dropped," Leeper said.
BS BS BS.
Operation Downfall: Olympic, Coronet The Invasion of Japan
[snip] "At the time of the start to planning of Olympic, there were 1-1/2 [Japanese] divisions based on southern Kyushu; these with various service bases there amounted to about 45,000 men. Planners expected an additional three divisions to be moved into the area by the time of the landings. The Japanese were able to predict the landing using the same logic as US planners and moved 9 more divisions into the area for 216,000 men by the time of the surrender."

[Don Corleone]

In the long run...probably the best thing that happened to Japan. Look at it now!

[bill1952]

I don’t suppose that the huge number of American deaths that would have resulted from an invasion means anything to him?

Hey, whats a million or so dead American men anyway?

[Brian Mosely]

We killed far, far more people and destroyed more cities during the fire bombings earlier that year (Mar-April) yet the two a-bombing are the ones that still upset them the most.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Leeper shares the view of most Japanese: that Japan had already lost the war and that the bombing of Hiroshima, and of Nagasaki three days later, was wrong and unnecessary.

"Everybody knows on the left and the right that Japan was finished at the time the bomb was dropped," Leeper said.

Steven Leeper is a liar, plain and simple. Between the time Truman became President and the dropping of the bomb on Hiro, about four months, the United States suffered nearly half of its total casualties in the Pacific Theater. After the bombing of Nagasaki the largest air raid of the war was flown against Japan on the 14th because they refused to surrender. If Tojo had gotten his way we would have had to invade.

[Obie Wan]

Everybody knows on the left and the right that Japan was finished at the time the bomb was dropped,” Leeper said.

Really,well I heard there were about 1 1\2 million American GI’s and Marines who were NOT looking forward to invading Japan proper. I guess they weren’t as smart as Leeper !!!

[MNJohnnie]

Utterly moronic lack of any sort of intellectual ability or historic honesty on display here.

IF the Atomic bomb had NOT been dropped, the Japanese people would of been virtually exterminated by bombing, pestilence and disease.

The Japanese islands could not support their population. With the bombing and the sub warfare the transportation net was gone. Japanese civilians would of died in the 10s of millions suffered from famine and disease.

Also, if we had gone for a siege instead of dropping the bomb or invaded not only would the Japanese civilian death toll been hugely higher, given the sorts of collateral civilian damage caused by the military technology of the time but the Stalin would invariably used the opportunity to invade the northern part of Japan. Instead of Korea, Japan would of been partitioned with all the horrors that has brought for Korea for 63 years and counting. Both the author, and the subject, are idiots studying to be morons....and failing. The ONLY humane thing to do in 1945 is to drop the atomic bombs and end the war quickly. Any other action by the allies would of been barbaric.