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art of the sacred mythology propounded by our media and our textbooks is the story of the end of World War II. According to the official [i.e. American] liturgy, the twt *atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki iI igAugust, 1945 constituted almost noble deeds for they ‘. not only brought history’s most devastating war to an e"d; they alsosaved thousands of lives. This version is still widely accepted, even in Canada. These are the official myth/s. Now what is the truth? The most overwhelming truth — though this is ‘ hardly appreciated by most of us — is the unprecedentea and incomprehensible brutality of These two acts whose inhumanity cannot be POmPared to ‘any other SINGLE event in\ man’s DIOOdy history; To fully understand these aspects of i the atom bombings one must take a closer look at the : motives that produced such monstrous deeds. ’ It is to the credit of several American leaders at the time that they were men who strongly ropposed :Athe dropping of the two bombs for purely moral "feasons. However, the "hawks", headed by President Tr“man, won in the end, and the two massacres were . carried out as ordered. ‘ In this connection it is most important to keep in

mind that Japan had been suing for peace for several 7

months prior to the bombings. Japan was willing to Sufrender, the question was just how and under what conditions. More important still, even if she wanted :0 J"man was unable to carry on the war much longer, _'°'v the onslaught of the Allied armies had 'ncreasingly weakened her to the point where her total economic and military collapse was only a “lemon of a few months at the very most.

". under these circumstances (which, incidentally, {We .been very well documented], the US.

‘lf men looked like minds, what a frighte

HIROSl-lIMA

1. &NA

governmentwanted to demonstrate its destructive weapon, it could have done so in a variety of ways without killing, torturing and crippling hundreds of thousands of innocent and defenceless people. For instance, the bomb could have been demonstrated on an uninhabited island in the presence of international observers; also, the mere threat of its use — made

through the appropriate diplomatic channels — may ,

have been sufficient. But none of these more humane and obvious steps were taken. And the reason for these seemingly incomprehensible facts is that the two atom bombings had next to nothing to do with Japan's surrender. For the bombs were used primarily for two entirely different reasons, which are:—

1. To prevent meaningful Russian gains in the Far East. The Soviet Union had entered the war against Japan just before the bombs were dropped, and the Soviet military successes that were inevitable in view of Japan’s imminent collapse would have given the Russians, and possibly some other powers, a slice of the Japanese pie. The Americans may have been genuinely afraid of Soviet designs in the Far East, but this hardly entitled them to massacre what under the circumstances were innocent bystanders. By insignificantly hastening Japan’s surrender, the atom bombings stopped the Soviet advances, which means that the tactical use of the bombs was directed primarily at America's ally, and not at the enemy!

2. To ensure the kind of peace its government

, obviously envirioned, the USA had to be credible not

only ‘as the world's strongest power, but also as a power that is willing to "lay down the law", i.e. is determined to have its own way Under all circumstances. Both purposes were admirably served by dropping the atom bombs on densely populated areas. '

-x

nine world this would be.‘

4 thus affected is any '

Anonymous

As for the hu ' ‘ the bombings, her , Somewhere around 3 a and children were kil : exact figure will ne has been establish . has been greater soldiers killed durin American soldiers w 7

Hundreds of th have died slow, ag years as a result 0 1969 ALONE, som- after the atrocities of dreadful suff “survivors” of the > quarter century, pr have virtually no br dreadfully deform o atomic radiation. H,

human, aspects of me relevant figures: 0 400,000 men, women se two bombings. The . rse, be known, but it

,5 rld War II! [291,557

A-bomb "survivors" 5 during the past 25 gs. SINCE AUGUST ' ms died; i.e. 25 years ._ tted, and after years . ps worst of all, ave, during the past . ber of children who . re in some other way parents' exposure to re generations will be

No other crime such unspeakably spite of all this, it developed enough ‘ lousy dollar in 0rd victims!

To draw the ap course, a matter 0 with any conscienc is only one moral u men?

ed by man has had after-effects. Yet in government has ever ontribute one single hese tragic A-bomb,

_" ral conclusions is, of ' conscience; but who ver doubt that there makes sense to sane.

A

BIBLIOGRAPHY Gar. ‘Alperovltz Hiroshima and Pot -

- DlPLOMACY —-

it THE ASHES;

. Guenther Anders):

BURNING CONSCIE ‘54 - ‘ "REPORT FROM HIROSHIMA" — (pamphlet).