>>>>>>At that time, the government and military of Japan was almost as fanatical as some of the terrorist groups we see today, and they were prepared to fight until their last soldier.
>>>>>
>>>>>That wasn't the opinion of everyone, some thought that Japan was on the brink of surrendering.
>>>>>
>>>>>http://www.dannen.com/decision/bardmemo.html
>>>>>
>>>>>Even if you could find some justification for the first bomb, use of the second could hardly be justified.
>>>>
>>>>The government was still refusing to surrender after the first one.
>>>
>>>This extreme attitude is impossible to argue against.
>>>
>>>First you state that the US doesn't target civilians, then when it is pointed out that you have a long history of it, you try to justify it. Wiping out 1/4 million civilians with two bombs can never be justified.
>>
>>PMFJI here Len but the use of the atomic bombs in Japan was extremely justified. If for no other reason, than to save lives.
>>
>>Most WWII military historians (who know a lot more than we do about Japan's resolve) will tell you that if the US hadn't bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there would have been a massive invasion. The invasion of Japan would most certainly have resulted in far greater loss of life on BOTH sides. Hence the bombing was justified.
>>
>>Also keep in mind that there was no Geneva convention against the use of atomic weapons at the time so the US was not breaking any international or humanitarian laws (as they would be today).
>>
>>There were other justifications as well which relate to the saving of lives by ending the war. If you like I could go into them in great detail (I've read many books on the subject and have studied it extensively and spoken with WWII historians).
>>
>>-JT
>
>Jeff;
>
>I have read a number of books on the subject and agree with the points you have mentioned. This is historical fact. Japanese school children were being trained to defend Japan, by the use of bamboo poles, which were to be used against American soldiers, up until the day the second nuclear bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. The civilian population was told to stop the Americans at the shores of Japan or the country would be lost.
>
>The civilian government wanted to end the war but the military leaders did not. The civilian government attempted to negotiate through diplomatic means with many nations, including the Swiss, Swedes, Russians and even the Americans. The second bomb convinced the military they should accept the American terms of unconditional surrender.
>
>Tom

Exactly. Did you send this response to our friend Len Speed?