William Mandel wrote:
The pilot of the Enola Gay was a war criminal because he knew he was
dropping a weapon that would exterminate civilians indiscriminately.
JW reply:
First, let me say that I am personally at odds with the decision to use
nuclear weapons against Japan and am not defending Truman's decision.
The Japanese were beat already, but that is another debate.
Now, William, Hiroshima was a valid military target being an Army
headquarters, and neighboring Kure was a major naval base, so one could
make an argument for bombing it. What if the pilot truly believed that
by dropping his weapon he would save upwards of a million American
lives? (the estimates on the invasion of Japan, another needless
exercise in my opinion, were horrendous). Is he more of a war criminal
for bringing a quick end to the war, or for refusing and maybe dragging
the war on for who knows how long at great cost of life on both sides?
Remember, the question here is not whether the bombing of Hiroshima was
right or wrong, we probably agree on that, but whether the pilot was
wrong and a war criminal if he truly believed that he was saving lives
by doing so.
-- Jerry West Editor/publisher/janitor ---------------------------------------------------- THE RECORD On line news from Nootka Sound & Canada's West Coast An independent, progressive regional publication http://www.island.net/~record/
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