by Guy Takamatsu

Created on: October 22, 2009

Fumio Kyuma, who was forced to resign as defense minister was a victim of so called Political Correctness. When an unavoidable tragedy happens the Japanese often say It couldn't be helped. Mr. Kyuma did not say the atomic bombs were a gift from the gods as some Japanese politicians crassly stated. He simply said it was inevitable, it saved lives and couldn't be helped.

Those like Gar Alperovitz and Ron Takaki argue against the use of the atomic bomb, argue somewhat dishonestly by omitting certain facts. Yes the Japanese may have feared the Soviet Union. And yes the Japanese sent peace feelers to the Soviets. But Alperovitz and Takaki in their speeches fail to mention that the Stalin ordered his people to ignore the Japanese requests. One also has to question the sincerity of those peace feelers. Alperovitz and Takaki also conveniently avoid mentioning that after the first atomic bomb, the Japanese ambassador sent an urgent message to the Soviets. The ambassador and his delegation were summoned to the Kremlin where Molotov read a declaration of war on Japan. Talk about kicking someone when they're down! The Soviets went on to capture a number of Japanese soldiers (about 500, 000) and use them for slave labor. About half of them died in captivity.

Alperovitz and Takaki condemn the United States for not promising the Japanese they could keep their emperor. What Takaki and Alperovitz won't tell you is that the Soviets wanted the emperor tried as a war criminal. They also don't' tell you that the Communist paper was very pro atomic bomb, with one title along the lines of Thank God it was our Atom bomb. The article went on to emphasize the importance of the word our. Basically the revisionist line taken by Takaki and Alperovitz is a very dishonest attempt to make the Soviets into heroes, when in fact, they were land grabbing opportunists.

Another lame attempt by Alperovitz is to quote Nixon and Herbert Hoover as opposing the use of the bomb. Well Nixon was not president at the time. He did not have to look at the casualty reports from Okinawa. Neither was Hoover.

Some have said the United States dropped the bombs to keep the Soviets out of the war. A fellow student of history remarked that if we wanted to keep the Soviets out of the war, we would have rearmed the Germans and had them fight the Russians all over again. That student said it was not his recommendation, but Patton's.

Opponents of the atom bomb have also conveniently ignored the fact that

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