Posted on 08/05/2009 9:21:16 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
NEW HAVEN, Conn. | A majority of Americans surveyed think dropping atomic bombs on Japan during World War II was the right thing to do, but support was weaker among Democrats, women, younger voters and minority voters, according to a Quinnipiac University poll.
The poll, released Tuesday, found 61 percent of more than 2,400 American voters questioned think the U.S. did the right thing; 22 percent called it wrong, 16 percent were undecided.
The first bomb was dropped Aug. 6, 1945, on Hiroshima. An estimated 140,000 people were killed instantly or died within a few months. Tens of thousands more died from radiation poisoning in years following.
Three days later, another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing about 80,000 people. Japan surrendered less than a week later.
"Sixty-four years after the dawn of the atomic age, one in five Americans think President Harry Truman made a mistake dropping the bomb," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
The poll asked a single question: "Do you think the United States did the right thing or the wrong thing by dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?"
Among voters over 55 years of age, 73 percent of those surveyed approved the decision, while 13 percent opposed. Sixty percent of voters 35 to 54 approved, while 50 percent approved among voters 18 to 34 years old, according to the poll.
"Voters who remember the horrors of World War II overwhelmingly support Truman's decision," Mr. Brown said. "Support drops with age, from the generation that grew up with the nuclear fear of the Cold War to the youngest voters, who know less about WW II or the Cold War."
Only 34 percent of black voters and 44 percent of Hispanic voters approved the decision, according to the poll.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Same is true if you're younger.
In other words, support was weaker among people who self identify as victims....
Hell, I’d support dropping a nuke on Mecca.
The last time I checked, Japan executed a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, not America on Japan.
I support peace through strength.. middle east needs a few glorious nukes floating above them like searing suns.
I know.. I’m like hey they attacked us in a cowardly way! they had it coming.
Posted on Sunday, July 05, 2009 12:51:21 PM ET by ETL:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285983/posts
same here and another 2 or 10 of ‘em if the first one didn’t get their damn attention....
One a week until they surrender world wide.
The very premise of even having a poll about this is idiotic.
We should of then used them on the Russians
61% of 2400 people agree that dropping the "Bomb" on Japan during WWII was the right thing for America.
I'm surprised and somewhat heartened by this pole, because it seems that the bulk of Americans have not become as stupid as I had supposed!
Why is so hard for some to understand what it was like?
Some Americans today would say, "Let's continue the war another few years and lose a few hundred thousand more troops.. we can spare both."
Wot? They identify with the "victims?" Oh.. that's right our Dear Leader frets about how the Japanese Imperial government was humiliated by the unconditional surrender. He ain't going to let America get away with anything like that again! Screw our guys in Afghanistan.
Thanks for this link.
The article likely confirms what professionals in the field know or suspect about how the United States is losing its character.
The affirmative response to this question asked in 1946 of people 18 and older would have been in the high 90’s.
In some cases, the pollsters would have been picking themselves up off the floor after they asked the question.
One only needs to research the Japanese policy of “ketsu go” and you’ll know why the bombs were dropped.
http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/arens/chap4.htm
The Japanese were gonna fight to the bitter end. Even in the end, when the Emperor was going to a radio station to broadcast the surrender, jr officers tried to stage a coup to stop him.
Hiroshima was bombed because it contained the HQ of the Japanese 2nd General Army (ground zero was their parade grounds). In the event of an allied invasion of southern Japan, 2nd General Army HQ would coordinate all Imperial army operations in that region.
Also, the city was a communications center, a storage point, and an assembly area for troops. It was one of several Japanese cities left deliberately untouched by American bombing, allowing a pristine environment to measure the damage caused by the atomic bomb.
It was either submission from the Japanese or invasion from our Armies. Invasion would have been much worse.
Sad as it was, it happened at a time when we knew how to win wars and had the will to do so. It has not been that way since. Being surgical to avoid collateral damage is great, but often leads to quagmires.
You would probably have a lot more agree if they watched this program called “The Rape of Nanking”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoW2WYdOsvg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqH47MIpuoA
The Japs were maybe the most brutal and inhumane folks in history.
It’s really depressing when you try to talk to Japanese people about it. They talk about how horrible it was but can’t figure out why we’re ticked off about Pearl Harbor.
From what I’ve read, in WW2 their political factions were split between hawks and doves. As the war started to go badly, the hawks became more and more desperate to stay in control. I’ve met people like that, they screw something up and act like rabid dogs when someone tries to keep them from making things worse. The nuclear bomb was a great political tool for the doves to finally shove the hawks out of the way and surrender before we invaded.
If you’ve ever read anything about the Japan invasion plans, you’d realize that a nuclear attack is a pretty nice alternative to the devastation we planned for a conventional invasion.
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