Posted on 08/12/2008 4:41:19 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
TOKYO - Japanese World War II leader Hideki Tojo wanted to keep fighting even after U.S. atomic bombs destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, accusing surrender proponents of being "frightened," a newly released diary reveals.
Excerpts from the approximately 20 pages written by Tojo in the final days of the war and held by the National Archives of Japan were published for the first time in several newspapers Tuesday.
"The notes show Tojo kept his died-in-the-wool militarist mentality until the very end," said Kazufumi Takayama, the archives curator, who confirmed the accuracy of the published excerpts. "They are extremely valuable."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
And who can forget the Mayor of Hiroshima’s famous last words on August 6th 1945... “What the f*&k was that?”
Mr G’s father was a lovely gentle man who wouldn’t hurt a fly. Six months before he died his second wife told us that he had worked on the Manhattan project. We were stunned! He had never ever said one word about it, and when we asked him then (2002) all he would say is “That’s secret.” We came home and talked to my family about how closed mouth this man had been.
Fast forward 4 years to the death of my step father, another lovely gentle man who wouldn’t hurt a fly. After the funeral his brother told us that he had worked on the Manhattan project. He spent several years in New Mexico, only able to go into town every several weeks so he could call his wife. He never said a word to us, even after we talked about Mr G’s dad.
They amaze me, to be able to keep that kind of secret, even when everything has been put out in the open.
Both sides of my family were in Japan at the time of the surrender. I concur with your thoughts. As I said in an earlier post, that wasn’t a society ready to quit-it was a society ready to die. The parallels with North Korea are eerie. Those bombs saved millions of lives, both in Japan and on the Asian mainland.
“Further supporting this position are the recollections of the bureaucrat running Radio Tokyo at the time. The militarists wanted to prevent him from broadcasting Hirohitos message to his subjects. The radio station manager hid the tape from Tojos loyalists/militarists and went forward with the broadcast after the search for the recording.”
There was actually a car chase through the streets of Tokyo to get it there at all. The Japanese Nazis tried to head it off at the pass.
You know, Danny, Dad said, I killed a lot of people in World War Two, but that guy, he was just trying to take a s**t and I simply murdered him. I’ll see his face until the day I die.
Good on your Dad for his ability to empathize with the humanity of an enemy performing an ordinary human task at the time that he killed him. Notwithstanding that, and with respect to your father, he didn’t murder him. He did his duty by engaging the enemy as he had been trained to do.
I understand what he is saying, I often have the same sort of qualms about what I did in Vietnam. I guess that is one more of the mutitude of reasons why we have to honor people like your Dad.
Thanks Frank. Dad would have understood and thanked you if he was around today. He passed away very suddenly on July 8th, 1971. Way too early to go as he was only 52 when he died.
Not a day goes by that I don't miss him.
That is the difference between yesterday's customs & morals and today's. When a man gave his word back then, 99% kept it. Many onto the grave.
Nowadays, there is very little, if any, civility, morality, sense of honor or duty to be found in most young people I see.
Of course, it is totally lacking in the Democrat Party of nObama, Clinton, Pelosi, Reid and their followers.
I’ve been puzzling over this all day and had to wait
until I got home to ask this question...
How (by what method) did the japs signal their surrender?
How did we know they were giving up?
How did we know it was not just a trick or stalling tactic?
Ironically, my family and I were surprised to find ourselves as witnesses to another Manhattan Project ‘confession’ at a military dinner. Impeccable gentleman. I mean- Impeccable.
I was not at all surprised when he passed a short time later.
Bender, there are still many young men and women of honor still to be found these days. They too, have stories they will carry to their graves. One of the primary reasons supporting the troops is so critical is that no one knows what they carry in their hearts. That stupid protest called Eyes Wide Open is countered by the rest of us with Arms Wide Open, to give them sanctuary.
No regrets. I thank God for men like you and Bender’s dad.
No regrets.
Thank God you both came home alive.
Tojo knew his fate if Japan surrendered,
Agreed.
I did say "Nowadays, there is very little, if any, civility, morality, sense of honor or duty to be found in most young people I see."
That encompasses most of the customers and checkers at my Wallyworld and the local A&Ps hereabouts. I know there are many, many young folk who still measure up, but nowadays it is just harder to find them as the traditional and values of our Founding Fathers are not taught nor honored in these times. Especially in the Democrat Party!
The history books of my day had the full story and many different histories since then have covered it, but in a nut shell:
The Japanese Foreign Ministry sent telegrams to the Allies, announcing that Japan would accept the Potsdam Declaration but would not comprise any demand which would prejudice the prerogatives of the Emperor. That effectively meant that the TennÅ would remain a position of real power within the government power that was normally wielded in his name by the people at the tops of the military and governmental hierarchies.
The response from the Allies was received on August 12. On the status of the Emperor it said, "From the moment of surrender the authority of the Emperor and the Japanese government to rule the state shall be subject to the Supreme Commander of the Allied powers who will take such steps as he deems proper to effectuate the surrender terms. ... The ultimate form of government of Japan shall, in accordance with the Potsdam Declaration, be established by the freely expressed will of the Japanese people."
We were prepared for the Japanese not being on the level, but all in all, they obeyed Hirohito and did not cause any major problems.
More info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrender_of_Japan
“The Foreign Ministry sent telegrams to the Allies,
announcing that Japan would accept the Potsdam Declaration...”
... that is the tidbit I was looking for.
Surrender by tegram - THANKS!
“Dear USA stop we want the bombing to stop stop”
BTW are you trying... to undo my last divorce by calling for Repeal The 17th?
If you’ve had 17 that’s, at the very least, 16 too many.
- - -
Guy approaches girl at bar and says,
“You remind me a lot of my 4th wife.”
Girl says,
“Your 4th wife? Lordy how many times have you been married?”
Guy says,
“Three so far.”
ba-dum-dum
- - -
It is every robot’s duty to give his life for the good of humanity.
Well, that... and lots of beer!
“Nowadays, there is very little, if any, civility, morality, sense of honor or duty to be found in most young people I see.”
That’s a bit of an exaggeration, methinks. Go tell that to our young men fighting over in Iraq and Afghanistan today. And our young men and women in the National Guard in this country. All is not lost. There are many honorable young people today. Unfortunately, it is all the bad seeds that get the media play, mainly because so many of the MSM are equally lacking in sense of honor, duty or morality. On that we could agree.
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