Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site othervax.UUCP Path: utzoo!utcs!mnetor!micomvax!othervax!ray From: ray@othervax.UUCP (Raymond D. Dunn) Newsgroups: can.politics Subject: Re: People don't know their history Message-ID: <440@othervax.UUCP> Date: Thu, 8-Aug-85 16:23:09 EDT Article-I.D.: othervax.440 Posted: Thu Aug 8 16:23:09 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 9-Aug-85 16:43:00 EDT References: <307@looking.UUCP> <3306@garfield.UUCP> <228@watmum.UUCP> <2260@watcgl.UUCP> <739@lsuc.UUCP> Reply-To: ray@othervax.UUCP (Raymond D. Dunn) Organization: Philips Information Systems - St. Laurent P.Q., Canada Lines: 29 Summary: Organization: > ..... perhaps even one bombing on an unpopulated > area? e.g. Americans tell Japanese to pick a spot, any spot, and watch > it dissappear. Maybe I'm wrong but I would be jut as impressed by > seeing the top of a mountain dissappear as by a city dissappearing. According to all accounts I have read/viewed on the subject, the option to invite a Japanese representative to view a test of the A-bomb was indeed seriously considered but rejected for at least two (reported) reasons: a) they were unsure of the reliability of the bomb and did not want to demonstrate a 'dud', and b) because of the major internal conflict in Japan between the military and civil authorities, it was doubted whether such a demonstration to a few individuals would be enough to have any effect. It must be noted that the US was very much in a hurry to win the war, not just to save US lives but to preempt the USSR invasion of Japan. It is interesting that in the Hiroshima discussions taking place on TV over the last 2 or 3 days, several "informed authorities" on the subject have queried very strongly the "500,000 American lives to invade the Japanese home islands" estimates. They reckon the figure would have been more like 40,000. I think also, that in the atmosphere of the times, the militaristic viewpoint would take precedent over any other. Ray Dunn.