Samuel, it was Al Capone who coined that. "Don't mistake my kindness for weakness. I am kind to everyone, but, when someone is unkind to me, weak is not what you are going to remember about me".
Might’ve been one of the greatest political miscalculations in recent human history on japans part. They thought the loosening of the terms of surrender signaled weakness on the Americans part, thinking America didn’t want to invade Japan at the cost of American lives. Thinking that if they just held out a little longer America would abandon the pacific theater. When in reality America had an ace up their sleeve and was genuinely giving Japan a legitimate out.
Absolute nonsense. Just another BBC BS documentary. It was not necessary to drop that bomb on Japan. Japan were already negotiating terms of surrender, which even the US generals stated. The US dropped the bomb to scare Russia, who were invading from the North, and the US were scared Russia would keep what they conquered after the war. The scare tactic did work, at the cost of over 200 000 Japanese lives. Did Japan deserve it? Probably yes, as retribution for the war crimes they committed. But this doc is inaccurate. Then again. it is the BBC.
@@johanleroux9240 their terms of surrender are completely laughable and unacceptable to allied standards UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER is the only way to stamp out imperial Japan
The "sleeping giant" was spoiling for a fight and provoked Japan enough that it started one. The war in the Pacific had nothing to do with the European war, but was a brawl between America and Japan for control of the Pacific and isolationist America was not amused by Japan's desire for expansion in the region.
On Sunday, July 22, 1945, Truman crossed off Kyoto as a target and sealed Hiroshima’s doom. He did it to save the lives of young American soldiers. That very night, he dined with one such soldier, the nephew of his personal physician, Captain Alphonse McMahon. That soldier was my father, John R. Thomas Jr. You can read about it in the minutes of Truman’s European trip, which can be found online.
@@demef758 The specs of it are just nuts, which are too many and too much to tell here. In any case, a true Greatest Generationer, Dad never told me: I found out by doing genealogical work on the family and stumbled across the minutes of Truman’s trip; the data the Army stamped on the back of an autographed photo Truman gave my father and David McCollough’s book /Truman/ filled in the rest. Thankfully I learned it before Dad passed so I could talk with him about it.
Nice story, but not exactly true. Hiroshima was one of three cities (Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Kokura) that were on the target list on the day of the bombing. Weather conditions on that fateful day were the final consideration that sealed Hiroshima's fate. Don't mean to burst your bubble, but Hiroshima's "doom" was not sealed on July 22nd, it was sealed by weather conditions on August 6th.
Explain "medieval mentality" to the Germans who slaughtered Jews by the millions or the thousands of Chinese and Malaysians who were slaughtered in cold blood or no reason. Wagging war is nasty and always will be.
Kevin W what they Germans did in WWII wasn’t medieval by any means , they killed purely 20th century in the industrial style ...true war will always be nasty but the Germans at this time were considered evolved but perhaps the bad way
My dad God Rest his soul was a Marine in the Pacific island campaigning and he told me stories when I was a young boy about they gave the Japanese a way out as far as the unconditional surrender but they were willing to fight to the last man private citizens everybody they were going to resist at all cost my father had said that President Truman had no alternative but there was a way out but at that time the emperor refused it was unfortunate but by dropping that atomic bomb it brought World War II in the Pacific to an end I will always tell my father God Rest his soul and simplify I myself am a former Marine
Terry, Salute to you and your courageous father. Mine was Navy WW2 and Army Korea. You will always be a Marine. No "former" about it, the same way I will always be an Airman decades after my enlistment was over. Semper Fi. Retreat hell! 2/5 Honorable Discharge Crew chief on the C-141b
The Japanese killed and tortured millions of Chinese, they never showed mercy to woman , children, or prisoner 's of war .They tried to take over the world along with Germany.If either country had the BOMB we were toast . America had no choice but to end the madness. Truman is a hero .100 percent !!!
@Click me know to be fair after dropping it he realized he didn't have to send millions of americans to their deaths so I can understand why he slept soundly.
Well as a neutral I will say that both of you are criminals in fact, at least the Japanese stopped their crimes after the war while I can't say the same about you when I see what you did after that in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine and other countries. Then think about this, if the Americans wanted to gain the upper hand in the negotiation they could have detonated the bomb in an uninhabited place just to show its power even though it was a cheap tactic, but instead they chose to detonate it in two populated cities, sacred heroism hhh
I always explained it like this - They were willing to fight until oblivion. After the two atomic bombs were dropped they had the opportunity to see what that looked like. They peered into the shadowy abyss and oblivion stared right back at them. They didn't like what they saw. That caused them to finally come to their senses and realize that continuing down that path was *not* in their best interest.
I think Japan had a naive hope that the Soviet Union who they still were neutral with would help them hammer out a bargain with the US too. Though on August 9th the Soviets declared war on Japan and attacked them. Two atomic bombs and being attacked by the Soviets made it increasingly clear they were just going to be bombed until they folded, period.
Very poetic! If US hadn't insisted on Japan losing their Emperor they might well have surrendered. BUT America wanted to show the Soviets what they could do if push came to shove. So the Japanese had to die.
@@petergilkes7082 "Not insisted on japan not losing their emperor" So America should have should have let a guy still in total power as emperor after he attacked their country, under whose watch millions across Asia were butchered including barbarism like Nanking, Baton death march etc. It wouldn't have been any different than Allies letting Hitler stay in power along with Nazi party in Germany if they got a surrender offer in 1944. The Japanese had to die because their stupid rulers put their pride over lives of millions of Japanese. Some of them had to die so hundreds of thousands of US soldiers wouldn't die in full scale invasion of Japan, along with millions of Japanese.
The Japanese civilian population was digging in for an insurgency that would've made Okinawa look like an afternoon of Laser Tag. Anything less than unconditional surrender by Emperor Hirohito himself would have created far more casualties.
My 5th Infantry Division was scheduled to storm the Japanese main Islands. I considered this a death sentence and when the bombs fell and the Japanese surrendered I called myself a son of the atom bomb for a while. We were on a months leave in the US after leaving Europe when Hiroshima and Nagasaki were obliterated.
@@willamestrada1121 I'm answering your question, that makes me think I'm still here! Recently survived prostate operation. Anesthesia knocked out part of my brain! Next pause: 100 yrs!
I'm a Progressive, and a lot of people on my side of the political spectrum condemn the nuclear attack, and I've always said to them if you can prove to me that the Japanese would have surrendered without it and without wasting thousands of Allied lives in an invasion I'll agree with you. I've never gotten a satisfactory response.
I think that's because most on your side of the spectrum think of themselves as 'World Citizens' first and foremost, and refuse to accept that the protection of the life and liberty of US citizens should be the No1 priority for any President. That's why millions vote for Trump- he may be a total idiot, but at least they feel he's on their side.
@@horrortackleharry - wrong - many historians concede Japan's leaders were interpreting their position in the war from the remaining strengths of Japan's military - in this respect the strategic bombings of civilians had little impact as was the case with the European war which showed strategic bombing did not deliver the knock out punch required for a surrender - Japan surrendered when it lost its last reserves in Asia and became totally surrounded by US and the Soviets whom it feared the most - also Trump is no idiot - anyone who calls him an idiot is an idiot himself for sure
@@horrortackleharry They refuse to accept that the protection of life and liberty for US citizens should be a priority, or even a concern, for anyone. They would gladly give it all up for a world government, one which they ran of course.
@@horrortackleharry ...THE IMAGE OF DONALD TRUMP AS AN "IDIOT" IS THE RESULT OF WHEN THE MAINSTREAM NEWS MEDIA SETS OUT TO RUIN SOMEBODY!!! ANYBODY WHO TRIES TO SAY THAT THE MAINSTREAM NEWS MEDIA EVER TREATED DONALD TRUMP THE SAME WAY THAT THEY TREATED BILL CLINTON AND OBAMA- IS A GODDAM LIAR!!!
M Detlef no, there were no drop and the gun-type (Little Boy) had no test at all. So the only “test” was of a warhead, not a bomb. The whole weapon, both gun and implosion types were first “tested” in Japan.
@@cowboylee9457 Art is right, the New Mexico tests were to establish the Fusion Theory, but the type of mechanism to start the cascade was not used until the weapons on Japan. They worked "in theory", which would have been pretty fucked up had we dropped a fully functional Atomic UBX on Japan.
thats because of the surrender terms and limitations on their defenses written into their constitution. its also because of the type people they are and the miracle job MacArthur did.
@@lawrencehawkins7198 The USA is a double-edged sword for humanity. But unlike other hegemonies such as China, the USA is a democratic state, and she propagates democracy, freedom, human rights as well as the calamity of atomic bombs among other nations.
Yes. My father, a high-ranking Army officer riding every day with his Soviet Army counter-parts, believed they would lose at least 3/4 of a million men taking Japan.
@@redwater4778 That is not the issue. The Japanese were sworn to defend their nation to the death. What don't you get about "Kamikaze?" Did you view these videos training children how to fight us hand-to-hand?
@@redwater4778 You could not be more seriously in error. The Emperor's top military had to beg him after the first bomb was dropped to accept unconditional surrender, and the only reason he did was when he realized they would have assassinated him.
In reality, about 10,000 bombers were being routed from Europe. There would have been very little hand-to-hand fighting. We would have bombed them for six months until winter weather made it impossible and then sat back and let winter conditions do what Small Pox did to the Indians. Go in the next Spring and set up the 49th state.
My father was home on leave from the European front because that part of the war was over but he was going to get redeployed to the Pacific to fight there. Then they dropped those bombs and he never left again. He left the military, went back to his job, met my mother, and got married. I am here because of those bombs.
By this logic, how many Japanese can't say any thing right now? Even how many Americans can't say no thing (Considering that your mother with this logic would have married someone else and had other children for example), anyways the reality is what happened has happened and that will not be changed, that does not preclude that it was one of the biggest crimes in history.
@@SuperBunkerbuster did you not see the documentary, they refused to give up. Even after the bombs were dropped, the army tried to sabotage the Emperors surrender speech. Your blame should lie at the people who wanted this war to go on.
@@123tinhat123 Yes I did see this documentary when it was aired on 2005 for the 60th anniversary of Hiroshima, and the point of view is largely based on Truman’s memoir claiming that the bomb saved “half a million American lives”. This claim is has been largely deconstructed since as a false justification for the atomic bombs. The true reasons are that the US wanted a first test of the uranium bomb at Hiroshima (Trinity test and Nagasaki were plutonium bombs) and a full scale test on a real target (which could be considered a war crime against civilians), showcasing why they spent 2 billion USD (equivalent of 32 billion USD) in this program as well as their power to the world; and speed up the end of the war to not have to share Japan with the communists like Germany and Korea. In August 1945, Japan was starving, all their ressources were depleted with the lost of their fleet, air forces and merchant routes to their lost colonies,… Seriously even if the army didn’t want to surrender at this point, it would have been a matter of time before it happens, and even a mainland invasion by the Allies would have cost few casualties given the shortage of everything and the absence of tanks and defensive infrastructures as they thought their mainland would never experience an invasion.
Admiral yamamoto was asked about attacking the American mainland. He had been a student in America and had gone hunting with fellow students. He said "there will be a rifle behind every tree".
Mark Nostrant - I believe he said something like "expect to find a rifle behind every blade of grass" - hooray for the 2nd amendment - thank you founding fathers of America
@The Truth Hogwash and revisionist history, with not a shred of real evidence backing it up. Truman knew an invasion would be a bloody mess. If anything, he wanted the Soviets to share in an invasion if one became necessary so as to lessen the number of Americans killed.
You are so misinformed. How ignorant people are to history. Sick of stupid people like you. It COST American lives to drag the war out almost a full year by not accepting their surrender. Even after the World court said we must, TWICE. Every man who died in the last 6 to 9 months of the Pacific war died for nothing.
@@mountianfolks , "not excepting their surrender"? What? Are you writing that Japan offered to surrender and the United States refused? Regardless, President Truman's decision to drop the bomb was 100% correct.
@@jasona9 Yes. learn your history. Twice the World court ruled that America MUST except Japans surrender. America ignored them. If america had excepted thousands of Americans would have survived the war. America wanted to experiment with their new toy. No amount of lives mattered to them. If you know of anyone who died in the last year of the war they died for nothing except a few men's lust to kill. Then America bombed two civilian cities killing 300,000 civilian people. Why do you not know simple history? Stupid? Uneducated? What?
Anyone who wondered why Truman elected the bomb when he originally opposed the idea needs only to look at Operation Downfall, the operations order for the invasion of Japan. The U.S. discounted occupation of the entire main island, and would seize only Tokyo and the land south of the city. And, just that operation would cost 1,000,000 U.S. casualties, until millions of Japanese dead, and that war would have been extended by another 3-years.
My father at the age of 15 a US marine served in the South Pacific watched friends die and had witnessed these brutal fanatics first hand in action was relieved when the war ended.
My uncle was in the 1st. Marine Division that fought in the Battle of Guadalcanal which was the very first land battle fought by Americans in WWII. His best friend was blown to bits just a few feet away from him while he and my uncle were out repairing the airfield while more Japanese planes were dropping more bombs trying to stop them. My uncle died years later from complications due the malaria he became infected with while fighting at Guadalcanal. I had another uncle who was in the US Army and fought in the Philippines where he won the Purple Heart.
Kurt Homan my father had contacted malaria also..i remember seeing a picture of him skin and bones from the disintary I guess you can never give blood once exposed.
Whatever may be said those 2 bombs meant that atomic bombs have up to present never been used again. They never knew the long lasting horrific effects on the population. Had it not been for Japan I am sure atomic bombs would have been used later such as in the Korean War.
John Grit they didn't know about the radiation back then. This can be seen by having all the soldiers located at the testing sites who got exposed to it.
@@Nick-ve1kg Except for the Americans and the Germans since the Americans are the ones that finished the bomb first and the Germans are one of the pioneer in this nuclear fission to be used as a WMDs.
Horrible as it was, the fact they offered one last chance to give up AND it was favourable to the Japanese cannot be forgotten. “Please surrender. I don’t want to kill your people, but I will not kill mine.”
that Japanese mentality still exists today.. they are stubborn beyond belief and also in no way shape or form will ever admit they are at fault or they made a mistake,.. still to this day that is how the Japanese society is led to think.. they would rather die than admit mistakes.... and they care not also for thier fellow men.. stubborn selfish nation..
There are a lot of people these days who falsely believe that dropping the atomic bombs was evil. It saved millions of lives, and the surrender it caused prevented any Soviet invasion of Japan. Seeing how disastrous Soviet occupation was, I think Japan should consider itself very fortunate.
@@abram6282 US should treat Japan more mercifully just like how a father punish his kid but not go all out to obliterate or destroy Japan. US can play with Japan and prolong the 'war' with Japan till the 1950s or even 1960s.
And FDR egged it on to get the US to enter the war so he could be the one to save the US from the Depression. The chinese and Japanese were of no concern. To the US. George Washington plainly stated in his farewell address to avoid foreign entanglements. FDR should've been impeached.
@@dregnis-488 not so. japan was busy killing thousand in china for oil. they were not acting like victims. they were killing innocent civilians by the hundreds of thousands as far back as 1936 i believe. thats why rosevelt placed a oil embargo on them and as a result the attack on pearl.
@@wildlandfirefighter5656 We were out of the depression by 40. FDR wasnt an idiot. Also its a fallacy that wars are good for a economy. think about it. tanks cost money to make and blow shit up or get blown up with workers inside as opposed to tracters that plow soil to plant seeds that grow to product to sell and eat. one product kills your economy. one creates wealth. one drains wealth. uou want to put your growing evonomy on the ropes? make it retool a assembly line that made things people want and need and will pay for to building things that contribute nothing to the economy and uses up natural resources need someplace that does produce wealth, then you the manufacturer gets payed years later or not at all. Oh, and tax the living shit out of the public and have your skilled work force blown to bits. That sound like a good way to stimulate the economy to you? no way.
The Japanese code of honor, or Bushido, ensured that the Allied casualty count would have been astronomical. I`m thankful Truman did what he did, or my future father may never have come home.
@Hey Wassup Sorry, but the Japanese only offered a conditional surrender. All major countries that are part of the Allies (The Soviet Union, UK, US, France, and the Republic of China) wanted the Japanese to surrender unconditionally.
@Hey Wassup What? Truman and MacArthur wanted to keep all members of the Imperial Family alive. The Americans just wanted the Emperor to deny his divinity. Your sprouting lies and revisionism. You don't have an evidence for that. And if Truman wanted to hang the Emperor he could have done it after the war but he didn't. And the Emperor wasn't involved in war crimes because he was only a figure head.
@Hey Wassup so you are ok with the fire bombing raids on Tokyo ? that killed MORE people in 2 days than both atomic bombs combined. ah but that is ok for you ?? as long as the USA DID NORMAL BOMBS it was ok. hmm
The US minted 500,000 Purple Hearts in expectation of an invasion of Japan, but they were thankfully not awarded. They were still giving them out beyond the Vietnam War.
John Sluder My old man would disagree with you were he still around. He fought his way across the Pacific as a Marine rifleman. Contracted malaria on Guadalcanal, was wounded by white phosphorous on Okinawa. He and thousands upon thousands of others faced the prospect of dying on Japanese beaches. The death toll on civilians would've exceeded by far the losses at Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. The only thing that finally dissuaded the obdurate militants in Japan to surrender were those bombs. If I had a time machine I'd send you back to Okinawa and hand you a Garand.
John Sluder You imbecile, don't presume to lecture me about history. Even after Hiroshima the Japanese Army did not counsel surrender. It cited the fact that people wearing white were more or less immune to the blast. And you forget entirely what the Japanese had done to China beginning in '33. I guess you're okay with that.
My father was on a ship headed to the Japanese invasion. The estimated casualty-dead rate was 40% or more on the first two waves. Peace talks started after dropping the two nuclear weapons and the Navy turned the ship around toward the USA. ' glad we dropped those two bombs on Japan--- Kenneth, from Missouri and Texas
In 1945 my father, a bomber navigator , was pulled out of his 2cd tour over Germany to retrain on B 29s in preparation for the invasion of Japan. They were told to expect similar losses. And even after 2 a bombs, portions of the Japanese army mutinied and tried to stop the broadcast of the Emperor's surrender broadcast. They really did not have an option not to use every weapon they had.
My father was in the 101st airborne in Austria at the time and was told they were to be shipped to the Pacific for the invasion. They were told to expect 40% casualties as well. Many people can't seem to understand how many lives were saved by those bombs. May they never need to be used again.
@@thomaspropst2705 - nonsense- those bombs saved no one simple reason they did not end the war - something else made the Japanese leaders surrender when they did and it was not the bombs
@Thedoom turtle - more importantly this is what emperor Hirohito said about why he surrendered due to Russia on August 17, 1945 speech "Now that the Soviet Union has entered the war against us, to continue the war under the present internal and external conditions would be only to increase needlessly the ravages of war finally to the point of endangering the very foundation of the Empire's existence With that in mind and although the fighting spirit of the Imperial Army and Navy is as high as ever, with a view to maintaining and protecting our noble national policy we are about to make peace with the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union and Chungking." speaks for itself
I had two uncles who fought in the Pacific. I remember asking them if we should have dropped the bomb. they both said we should have dropped it sooner before a lot of their buddies got killed.
It just wasn’t available, not until July 1945. And we gave the impression we had an endless supply of such bombs but that wasn’t true. We basically shot our bolt with what we dropped and bluffed, but it was enough.
Japan’s leaders consistently displayed disinterest in the city bombing that was wrecking their cities. And while this may have been wrong when the bombing began in March of 1945, by the time Hiroshima was hit, they were certainly right to see city bombing as an unimportant sideshow, in terms of strategic impact.
@@brucewelty7684 - under the existing Hague and other laws of war civilians and civilian abodes were protected from bombing were not military targets - strategic bombing of cities and killing civilians was in fact illegal which makes carpet bombing and using nukes a war crime in WW2 yet we consider these airmen and leaders to be heroes - such is the lunacy of war
Not entirely true. At this point all the bombings had destroyed major factories and a lot was produced in individual homes. Cities especially, making them manufacturing hubs. Setting entire cities on fire was directly targeting their materiel production. Once Hiroshima and Nagasaki were put in the microwave it became clear that the US would cripple their manufacturing capabilities.
@@nickp3315 - manufacturing capabilities? most of the factories were on the outskirts of Hiroshima and were untouched by the a bomb in fact the city was chosen over a military target and its population was indeed the target of the atomic bomb - 120,000 deaths is too large a number to be collateral damage - you have no argument
@@majorrgeek at the same time, how many would have died without the bombs? millions on both sides. it's possible they hoped that their ruthlessness in attacking a civilian population like the Japanese did would convince them more effectively but who knows.
Japan was hard core in those days. They would have put up a terrible fight if invaded, millions would have died, on both sides. Bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki was horrific, but anything less would not make them surrender. And we treated them well after the war, they are now one of our greatest allies.
Andrew, I was setup with a date 20 years ago with a young woman from Japan who was working at the world bank. She was taking english lessons from my cousin and that's how I met her. To break the ice he asked each of us at the dinner table what view each of us had of the other's country. I gave my general view Japan and then she gave hers. She said, " Japan thinks of America as a big brother because we lost the war but America did not punish us " . To this day I choke up every time I retell that story. I have a undergraduate degree in History and these things matter deeply to me. Thanks for your blog.
indeed like NATO, remove your military bases and see how fast they will run away and remind you for the rest of your days about the nukes and have you pay compensations.... the only reason you have allies/vassals is as long as us army is present in those countries nothing more, just business...
@@roudyr00t98 Certainly true for some countries, but I hope not for all. I prefer to believe we have some true allies around the world. Right now, with Japan being threatened by China, North Korea, and possibly by Russia, I bet there are a lot of Japanese that are glad we have bases in their country. I have read the US has 800 military bases outside of our country. That is a comfort to me as an American, but I am certain there is real resentment by at least some of the local people near those bases.
The USA has to bare responsively for Hiroshima in the majoritive capacity, the innocent lives lost are irreplaceable, especially when you research and consider the evidence that shows the 2 bombs were not necessary
@@hannahmeek1107 Maybe you did`nt see the school girls with the sharp sticks? Maybe you missed the part where the Japanese talked about the kamikazi planes they had ready?
@@ricksmith7357 There is no doubt that Japan and the USA both contributed toward the events that led to the bombing, there are factors advocating for and against it. I acknowledge that the Japanese had defences planned and am well aware of wrong doing, this should never be forgotten, but does this warrant the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent people and the repercussions that affect generations today - such as cancer. My view is that the Hiroshima bombing was an unbalanced attack against the Japanese, one that was not necessary to win the war and affected Japanese lives in a disproportionate amount compared to the effect on Americans and their allies. The patriotism in support of the bombing and the deaths of countless innocent lives is often celebrated, is this something to be proud of? Although soldiers are serving their country, should they and the government be heroes for ending so many lives? I would argue not. This can be applied to every war effort from every country that resulted in loss of life. We should be questioning the choices and policies of our governments, we cannot blindly follow and believe every decision they make without researching first, otherwise we open ourselves up to complete control with no democratic vote from the people. So whilst I acknowledge what you say, the response from the Japanese did not warrant such an extreme response from the USA and American lives should not be placed at a higher ranking than others nationalities and cultures.
The biggest issue for Japan from what I have read is that their government was almost more like latin American countries today in that the military didn't have to answer to political leadership or obey the emperor at all. When Hirohito Jr took over at 24, they brought the Pearl Harbor plans they developed with Hirohito Sr months before and said this is what we're going to do. He told them the plan was suicidal and could result in the destruction of Japan, they laughed at him for being a naive "child". Couple this with the fact that they modernized the military weaponry rapidly but didn't scrap the fedual Samauri code and it was just a disaster waiting to happen. We knew they didn't have food stocks to withstand and invasion for too long but the bloodbath that would've ensued before that point was unfathomable, estimates at the time were around 2 million US deaths, 4 million total.
3:26 Watching the Japanese parts with auto subtitles is hilarious. It actually does seem like he’s saying “Did you come on Ava?”. On a serious note though I think the US was justified in using the bomb. The lengths the Japanese were prepared to go in defense of their country were extreme. Soldiers strapping on explosive anti-tank suicide vests, kamikaze planes, kamikaze torpedoes, banzai sword attacks and all that wasn’t even on the Japanese mainland. The most moral way of fighting a war is to make it as brief and with the least amount of suffering possible. I don’t see how fire bombing every city and killing every soldier would’ve been better. Anyone who says it was unnecessary because the Japanese were negotiating terms of surrender is wrong. The Japanese were not negotiating with the intention of surrendering, they were negotiating with the intention of buying time. The more time they spent talking, meant more time they have to prepare their defenses. If the US had invaded the Japanese homeland all of Japan’s forces would have been recalled home which would have meant death for the POW’s stuck in the Japanese camps. The Japanese had the habit of killing all the prisoners of a camp once it became obvious that they could not defend it anymore. Same habit as the Nazis. If Japan was invaded the USSR would’ve invaded from the north, the US from the south, and after 2 extra years tacked onto WW2 we would have another North Korea situation with a communist north and a democratic south. Those are legitimate reasons for using the bomb, but the one reason that has no justification for the bomb’s use, is the fact they were curious as to how much of an effective weapon it was. Without a doubt that is one of the reasons why the bomb was used and it is a terrible reason. However, given the circumstances, I am not sure what a better alternative would’ve been.
My uncle gave me a book on "submarine warfare". In it there were pictures of some 500 Japanese mini subs which were Kamakasi devices, two man crews. They were outfitted to be able to survive on their own for about 2 to 3 months. They were to be scattered around all the Japanese ports and each one was to target the largest American ship in each port, and try to sink it..when we were "fat and happy" after the surrender. The nuclear drops had a connection with interrupting the ability of the Japanese to actually transport and field these subs.
My older daughters, blonde little Americans, went to Japanese schools, so I got myself elected to the local school board. Then the Board itself elected me Inspector, the one citizen-member who could go poking around in the schools themselves and interview teachers, administrators, and kids. They're still pretty hardcore, I wanna tell you. Old Mrs. Matsushita ran a thick slice of Korean industry when she was in her late eighties, and my eldest daughter -- whose first language was pretty much Japanese, but who picked up Spanish while at university in the States -- ran the Philippines for her for ten years. Tough, competent bunch, that type.
@CB_Brawl stars I find it cowardly and sickening to annihilate an entire city consisting mostly of civilians, women and children - it defies basic code of warfare and it counts as genocide. Anyways what's done is done and hope history does not repeat itself. Brainwashed Yankies are anyways going to continue milking the "we saved the planet" BS.
@@jsmariani4180 Russian Army was formidable - Russian Navy was shit. Russia wasn't going to invade Hokkaido - best it could do was land some paratroopers in undefended kurils.
First the atomic bomb ended a war, second know one questioned the USA's ability to use the bomb (USSR, China),third it saved 1million US soldiers from dying, fourth it saved 20 million Japanese from dying(we would've fire bombed every major city in Japan before landing)Fifth the USSR would have gotten involved and kept the land they took(as they always do). So yes dropping the bomb was a good thing.
Robert, Agreed in general. Stalin did enter the war for a few days at the end, and the Manchukuo Army panicked and ran -- abandoning the substantial Japanese population of Manchuria to their fate. But Russia gave it back after Mao's victory in 1949. Mongolia is a more complicated story, about which I do not yet know the truth. Korea, similarly, is a mess about which our Official Truth is only partly correct. Korea is riven by ethnic division which were exploited by both Northern and Southern dictators, the Kims in the North, Rhee and his successors in the South. The story that the Korean War was started by Stalinist invasion is false: there was a genuine Communist uprising against Rhee in the South and the US intervened to help the South Korean government suppress it. How and when the North Koreans, and later the Chinese, got into it is a story colored by the propaganda of both sides. I don't know. The South has evolved happily and well. The North has not.
in a war victors has everything life and property thats why no one could stopped russia when they took over on areas very roughly, USA and Russia divided the world as they wanted
We are still a giant because explain why we always dominate the Olympics and athletes always come to America to use our facilities and medicine. We have those problems you mentioned because we have more freedoms than the rest of the world.
Never forget that Japan's people were so indoctrinated that it took unleashing the power of the sun on them twice to break through their delusions to end the bloodiest war in history, which Japan started with their invasion of Manchuria.
That's because they are not the same. The Japan that attacked us at Pearl Harbor was replaced by a Japan molded by the United States. The Japanese people have greatly benefited over the years by following the new path we laid down for them.
@@therealtampadude9175 I differ ... The path today Japanese are following does not match with either present or past US way of doing things . What Japan has done is to shed the aggression but retain all other good things of their traditions . These traditions are much older than the modern US .
The Atomic Bomb showed the Japanese Military that their Bushido Samurai Ethos would lead to the obliteration of their civilization itself if they continued on carrying on the war, bomb or no bomb.
The Japanese also started to realize that once the Soviets declared war on them, they were screwed and if/when they lost the war, they would loose a lot more than just real estate.
In this report they could have mentioned that the Navajo Indian code talkers had broken the Japanese language code, which had a HUGE effect on the outcome of the war! The Japanese had no idea that we knew all they were saying, but the Japanese had no idea of what the Navajo Indian code meant! How many lives did they save?.? Those young men saved thousands of lives, both American and Japanese, and I think there are several still alive!
@@fredkruse9444 If I was wrong with the tribe, please correct me so I will be able to correct my statement and give credit to the correct tribe! They did such a tremendous job for us, I DON'T want to slight them! Thanks.
@@patgarrett2152 It was not a tribe of Indians who had anything to do with breaking the Japanese cyphers. It was the work of a bunch of nerds, not one of whom was an Indian. The Navajo code TALKERS made an important contribution in speaking a language that utterly defeated the Japanese attempts to understand it. But that had nothing to do with the Japanese cyphers.
@@louisc.gasper7588 I guess my statements were not quite correct! It was a group of Navajos that sent OUR messages in a language the Japanese were not able to understand! They didn't do anything about breaking the Japanese code, they just confused the Japanese with the Navajo Indian code! Is that a clearer description of the great contribution they made to end the war? I hope that is a more correct statement of their great contribution to ending the ezr
More like 100's of million people alive today for the one's who lost their lives in Hiroshima, or Nagasaki. Not just in Japan, but in the U.S.A.included.
How do you figure? How could bombing innocent Japanese civilians save any lives? Please don't repeat propaganda... Give me facts on any lives saved by dropping a nuclear bomb...
@@halbie71 "No American lives were lost". Therein lies the problem. Let's turn it around... Your wife and children that were just going about their business not at war with anyone are fried instantly... Would you find solace anywhere in that? We dropped the bomb for revenge. There were many alternatives. We were not about to spend 2 billion dollars for this magnificent creation and not use it? No way! Let's stop repeating the lie of the means justify the end. Do not recompense evil with evil.
@@actuallyalexissss thats lunacy ya know? in War there are no one who is innocent. just read the Nuremberg Trials. the Judge stated it clearly. They ( the Japanese) did not have to attack Pearl Harbor. They did not have to attack China they did not have to attack the Phillipines.. the USA stayed out of the war ( aside from meeting the terms of agreement with our allies) until Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in a seriously underhanded sneaky first strike attack with the full intention of wiping out our Naval Carriers. which would have left the USA Vunreable to other attacks and possibley we might all be speaking Japanese/German today. this is where the Pacifists ALWAYS get it wrong. Peace, lasts ONLY until the next aggressor comes along.
@@actuallyalexissss yes MORE importantly NO American lives were lost!!! We have already lost TOO many American lives in Europe & the Pacific during WW ll. Let's turn it around. Would you rather see your family killed or your neighbor's family killed? Secondly an all out bombing campaign & an all out invasion of Japan would have killed many more innocent lives. Thirdly the Japanese were stubborn & knew they were going to lose the war eventually before the first atomic bomb was dropped but they still refused to surrender. After the first atomic bomb was dropped they still refused to surrender. It took a second atomic bomb to finally convinced the stubborn & too proud Japanese military leaders to admit defeat & to surrender. Lastly, don't you think if the Japaneses had an atomic bomb before the U.S., they would have used it against the U.S.? John Hampton if you want to blame anybody, blame the stubborn & TOO proud Japanese military leaders who put their OWN people in harm's way!!!
0:09 It make me ill to think what would have happened if the invasion had actually gone ahead. Your average US soldier, then and now, has an aversion to shooting children, especially little girls-- but they have an even bigger aversion to having anyone stick a spear in their gut. Civilian casualties in an invasion of Japan would have been mind-bogglingly horrible.
Antony Dyatlov - wrong, America ended nothing, the Pacific WW2 ended due to the impossible situation Japan faced following the Russian declaration of war and attack on Japan's forces startin on August 8 - Sep 2, 1945
@@majorrgeek the Russian threat was an existential thing, and has been demonstrated, they had a bunker mentality. The bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima left them with nowhere to turn.
@@antonydyatlov9194 - demonstrated by whom? - not by the Japanese or Hirohito - read what Hirohito said on August 17 a weeks or so after the bombings "Now that the Soviet Union has entered the war against us, to continue the war under the present internal and external conditions would be only to increase needlessly the ravages of war finally to the point of endangering the very foundation of the Empire's existence With that in mind and although the fighting spirit of the Imperial Army and Navy is as high as ever, with a view to maintaining and protecting our noble national policy we are about to make peace with the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union and Chungking." - Seal of The Empire - Signed Hirohito - August 17 - kinda throws cold water over your "existential" theories about the holy bomb myth
Pre-Iraq, there was argument about the casualties that both sides would have incurred. I doubt most Iraqis were as devoted to Saddam as the Japanese to their emperor but the butcher’s bill speaks for itself.
Whether Hirohito was complicit or not (though he was imo) is really not the point. MacArthur understood that he was key to easing the transition to American occupation and governance of the Japanese people. They were so loyally devoted to him that putting him on trial or otherwise punishing him may have made governance without massive use of oppression all but impossible. It was the right thing to do at the time.
@V. V How can you possibly assert that that was the case? It was the Emperor's word that eventually ended the war. The truth is, we'll never know to what extent the Emperor participated in the war, because immediately following the war, that was what was most beneficial to most parties (victorious allies included).
@@NT-fo3me - nonsense Hirohito was spared for one reason only - "Moreover, the enemy has begun to employ a new and most cruel bomb.." Aug 10 & 15 statement is not an admission but a warning Hirohito would be prepared to go public on USA war crimes big time in the event he should be tried for war crimes
@@majorrgeek Hirohito had ZERO ability at that point to make accusations of any kind. He had unconditionally surrendered and under the control of the US. The last worry of the US at that point was war crime accusations from the man whose armies slaughtered Nanking.
Why didn't they just say.. "listen, don't think we are softening the terms for our desperate needs, no no no, boy if you don't take this we will for real blow a damn city up.. think about it.."
I understand now. I thought negotiating with the enemy at the time would've solved the problem, but now I 100% agree with you. Feel like this woulda been a god damn good conversation over beers in real life. Haha. Respect.. and of course.. Cheers!
The problem was that the Japanese people had an Emperor that was ACKNOWLEDGED publicly as a God here on earth. they would follow him anywhere including into a war and die (Kamakazi) in spectacular stye for him.. and even though the Emperor wasn't at all for the war personally, his position as a "Living God" was being used by the prime minister and the Military Zealots who had seized control of Japans internal and external Political power. even After the atomic bombings, the Army sent 1000 soldiers to storm the palace to seek out a recording that The Emperor had made in his own voice accepting the surrender terms. (because it was said that the people could not listen to a Gods voice in person, so all messages to the people from the Emperor had to be recorded and broadcast). if you look up ALL the special stipulations of the peoples interactions with the Emperor, you will see that this one man was both a political figurehead as well as a puppet of the military zealots of Japan with tons of insanely real power over the people, but none over the internal Government. who was using that power to sway the people into doing whatever they wanted. They were training five years old to wield daggers and by the time they were 16 they were fully trained solders, they believed in their emperor to the point that they would sacrfice themselves, their children, and the entire countries resources, if required to protect their Emperor. it was a cruel system that had no choice but to be stopped. There was no freedom for its people, and if left alone they would have fought until the very last person. yes the atomic bomb was the worst weapon ever unleashed on This Earth, but it did "save" the japanese people to continue living. because if Operation "downfall" had taken place as planned. the carnage would have been UNTHINKABLE. as the allied forces had commited to an invasion force of 500K men to attack the Japanese mainland. the death toll on both sides would have been many times that of Both Hiroshima and Nagasaki together.
@@bennettmusiclabs9382 Those soldiers who would have survived the invasion of japan would have serious and I mean serious PTSD from all the death and pure brutality that the japanese would inflict on them
US already turned much of Tokyo and Yokohama to ashes in one night using conventional firebombing. The Japanese would not surrender. They could endure much more of that and US invasion of Japan would have been another Vietnam. But once the Soviets attacked them they knew they are done since US and USSR did have enough manpower to win a Vietnam.
When another nation dominates your airspace and has taken your airfields and conducts daily bombing raids over your cities, yet your nation hasn't touched their mainland... The writing's on the wall.
@@Mgl1206 Your not referring to Hawaii are you? I would like to know more about the times they attacked the US mainland since this was not taught to me.
My granddad joined the army in August 1945, he was 17 and was stationed in Japan. He married my grandmother after knocking her up with my aunt. He was part of the occupation forces then he occupied my gma.
The atomic bombs saved countless Japanese lives. The victim mentality we see from contemporary Japanese citizens is being intentionally blinded to the atrocities of their military.
That part of Japan's history is not taught to Japanese schoolchildren. It has been whitewashed from their history books. Whereas, Germany has acknowledged the Holocaust and set up memorials so upcoming generations will know about what happened.
We seriously underestimated Japan and overestimated Germany. By the time we had an effective force in Europe, Germany was defeated and retreating from Russia, fighting hard in order to surrender to Americans rather than Russians. But two different times in the South Pacific, we were almost beaten by Japan.
"Casey," I had a friend who was Beachmaster at Tarawa as a young Colonel in the Marines. (We shared an office when he was a General seconded to the Nixon Administration.) You're certainly right that the Japanese fought with great ferocity and effect at times, but I wonder what you mean by their almost defeating us wice. What do you have in mind, other than Pearl? Prior to the A-bombings US submarines fought a huge and successful war across the whole of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and the home islands were starving by 1944. America's *other* secret weapon was DDT. The Japanese lost a million men to malaria in Malaya, where their garrison was never more than 300 thousand men. Their home population was still 50% rural in 1945, so they could still send down another 30,000 farm boys every month without really bothering to keep track. American troops beat their mosquitos: chemical warfare.
With Google available to confirm facts, I’m skeptical about facts I used to take as gospel. I spent my youth in the company of beer guzzling veterans of the S. Pacific battles. and my own experience hearing the new version of what happened to me in Vietnam (people assure me of things that amaze me though they never actually happened) has made me question everything I once knew for sure.
I do not think we underestimated the Japanese. Our leaders we're very apprehensive of the Pacific war, but our Allies insisted on the defeat of Germany first. And because of that, most of our resources were sent to the ETO. The Pacific war was fought with obsolete weapons and short of supplies because most of the good stuff being requested for the ETO.
Those that say the atomic bombs shouldn’t have been dropped have no idea of the circumstances of the time. There was no chance of Japan surrendering otherwise and dropping the bombs saved large numbers of Japanese lives as well as allied lives, and the war would have gone on for several more years. I also believe that the horror of dropping the bombs meant that none have been dropped since. I can’t imagine the devastation caused if H Bombs had been dropped during the Cuba crisis for example. Most of us wouldn’t be alive today.
There was actually a chance of Japan surrendering with a naval blockade but they chose the atomic bomb because they were a new weapon that was considered science fiction everywhere else.
Thank God for President Truman's strength and resolve. He spared the loss of maybe 1 Million American soldiers that it would have taken to completely invade Japan and force them to surrender. The BEST DECISION possible for Truman.
US should drop the A bomb on Japan occupied China and obliterate Chinese cities in the process rather than dropping it on mainland Japan, while using the Japanese occupation as an excuse to do so. This will prevent the communist from winning and China to rise to power to be a future threat. After all its the Communist and Chinese that are a threat not the Japanese by that point, America can take their time to 'slowly play' with the Japanese till they surrender with no worries by that point.
At 1:40 you see Churchill moving his chair closer to Truman. The old bulldog was indeed a tough nut who hardly cracked under the duress of the war and wouldn’t yield to either Germans or Japanese but was too docile and subservient in his manners and conduct with USA. His moving the chair closer is but just an indication of how desperately close he wanted to be seen with any US president.
Or was he just hard of hearing; a few inches makes a big difference. But let’s analyze the hell out of that little gesture and choose the most sinister suggestion.
I have listened to some of those speeches, and was aware of his great admiration of the USA. He always advised UK Statesmen to “stand with the Americans.” But that could have been purely pragmatic. The USA was and still is the last best hope on earth, though, sadly, that hope is fading in recent years. Nevertheless, I think he moved his chair because he was hard of hearing.
Mango, How on earth could my comment be construed as pro-Hillary? I can’t stand her, and certainly didn’t vote for her! This conversation was about Churchill !?
Appearing in these scenes here are very familiar faces of Gerry Anderson productions, George Victor (Ed) Bishop (who voiced Captain Blue in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and played Commander Ed Straker in UFO) and Shane Rimmer (who voiced Scott Tracy in Thunderbirds)
@@ronnieince4568 You forget that Stalin was cozy with Hitler and fine with his attack on Britain until it finally happened to Russia. LOL. Stalin hung Britain out to dry and they were alone against Hitler for almost two years before the bastard was forced to enter the war. If Churchill hated Stalin (and I don't think he did) he had ample reason.
@@hthesmith7915 Churchill made common cause with Stalin as he said that if Hitler had invaded hell Britain would have supported the Devil .He had no illusions about Stalin but the reality was the USSR were exterminating Germans faster than anyone else and I'm much greater numbers -war is about destroying your enemy and the enemy of your enemy is for the time being at least your friend .
@@ronnieince4568 Sorry I'm still not grateful to the Russians. If the U.S. hand't gotten involved the eastern bloc countries would have extended as far west as GB. So, I'm grateful to the Americans.
@@ronnieince4568 I think you have missed the point, The Russians were not ruthless, you forget because its never mentioned, that Russia lost 28 million people in that war, in fact when it comes to the usual rules of war, the the victor the spoils it was America and the U.K that made sure that did not happen, Russia had beemn in Berlin three weeks before anyone else, but as I said at the cost of 28 million people, who were not fighting because of Starlin or his cronies, they fought for their country, and America and the U.K. said thanks very much to those who had been captured by the Germans by sending them back to Russia knowing full well that they would be sent to prison camps because they had not died fighting. My wifes grandfather had his legs messed up by a land mine he was taken prisoner because he could not get away, he was one of those sent back and spent eighteen year in a prison camp because he had not died, Both America and The U.K. knew full well that this would happen. But it did not stop there, those from Poland who came to the U.K. to joint in the air defence of Gt.Briton, and without whos help we may well have lost the battle of Briton, once the war was over, it was a case of , O.K. thevwars over we dont need you anymore, go back to your uccupied Poland we dontnwantbyou here.!!!!
And firebombing, mass rapes, starving civilians, blockaiding food, murdering POWs, using civilians as hostages, gassing people, invading nations, using biological weapons on civilians, etc., etc. was? Sorry... we had long since reached the point in WW2 were almost everything done was illegal. The point was then how to end the war as quickly as possible to prevent further murders? Yes... it was illegal. It's also immoral, cruel, awful, etc. However, at that point nearly a million Chinese were dying each month. Tens of thousands of Japanese were dying from firebombing each month. Millions of Japanese civilians would have died has the war not ended before the winter. Maybe a half million allied and Japanese would have died in any type of invasion. Add more people in Korea, remaining occupied areas, etc. Sometimes illegal acts are the only or least awful option.
Ha...You sit there enjoying the freedom that was won so many years ago to say anything you want with the impunity that freedom guarantees you while passing judgement on a decision that saved thousands of lives. The responsibility of Hiroshima & Nagasaki rests squarely on the shoulders of the emperor and Imperial Japan. Aside from being the clear aggressor in the Pacific theater, they were given multiple chances to surrender, all of which, they rejected. I'm curious...Do you actually think what Hitler dd was "legal"?
I laugh at your garbage humanitarianism claiming that nuclear weapons on civilians should have been illegal. At some point war is war, and the Japanese started some shit they couldn't finish. If America could have wiped out only Japanese military they would have. And warnings were distributed to Japanese civilians before the bombs were dropped. The people of Japan should have removed their stupid leader, as he gambled their lives away. A fair warning made everything fair game.
With the defeat of Germany, the Japanese were afraid Russia would declare war on Japan. This was as much a fear for Japan as the bomb because they didn't want Russia controlling them after a defeat.
This is nonsense perpetuated by the Russians. The Japanese were preparing for an American invasion not a Russian one. The Russians were neither planning an invasion nor capable of invading Japan. The Russians were told to stay out of Japan by General McArthur. They were never truly involved with Japan and told to stay out which they did. The Japanese citizens had been told horror stories of what the Americans would do to them. This is why the were Suicides by the citizens on Okinawa. You even have video of a Japanese woman jumping off a cliff with her baby to avoid capture. She was not afraid of the Russians.
@Rob Roy >The Soviets did exactly as requested, and also agreed to stay out of mainland Japan. During immediate period after World War II, Stalin demanded the United States to cede Hokkaido to the Soviet Union. Fortunately, MacArthur refused his demand, otherwise Japan would be divided like Germany and Korea. Russians had a greedy ambition over Japanese territories, and probably even today.
@@robertmccoin1166 After World War II, Russians outrageous behaviors against Japanese women in Manchuria as well as their cruel treatments of Japanese POWs were spread among Japanese people. On the other hand, many Japanese were surprised to learn American invaders were humane and civilized unlike what they were taught by the Imperial government. That`s one of the reasons why Japanese people have favorable views about the United States while they still harbor strong Russophibic sentiments.
Ogmios - Let us just say your understanding of history during that period leaves a lot to be desired. Certainly Stalin was no angel for sure, but the Ribbontrop pact of 1939 was never an alliance in any meaningful sense. Rather just a kind of temporary marriage of convenience . Yet, for all of that, the Soviets engaged pretty much the full force of the German forces from the 22nd June 1941. It was on the Eastern front the Germans took 80% of their losses, and left the allies to engage with a very much weakened army in France in 1944. In effect the land war was decided on the Eastern Front.
@John Sluder - Spoken like a true Nazi. PS - You guys lost. Not only lost, but totally discredited and shown to be the liars and arseholes you are. You are now reduced to a few nutjobs screaming around while everyone else looks at you in total contempt.
Difference between tyrants and those accountable to election. Tyrants see only strength and weakness, never mercy or the value of souls. Tyrant's choice was easy. Elect's choice, not so easy. God bless Truman.
What's the old saying : One shouldn't mistake kindness for weakness.
It is a shame that many do not know the difference!
Well said Sir!!! And in today's society more relevant than ever. Thank you.
@@dennischallinor8497 Thank you also, Sir! Compassion and kindness is something some people have no understanding of. Very unfortunate.
Samuel, it was Al Capone who coined that. "Don't mistake my kindness for weakness. I am kind to everyone, but, when someone is unkind to me, weak is not what you are going to remember about me".
@@michaeljensen2013 Thank you! We now know where that came from.
Might’ve been one of the greatest political miscalculations in recent human history on japans part. They thought the loosening of the terms of surrender signaled weakness on the Americans part, thinking America didn’t want to invade Japan at the cost of American lives. Thinking that if they just held out a little longer America would abandon the pacific theater. When in reality America had an ace up their sleeve and was genuinely giving Japan a legitimate out.
Absolute nonsense. Just another BBC BS documentary. It was not necessary to drop that bomb on Japan. Japan were already negotiating terms of surrender, which even the US generals stated. The US dropped the bomb to scare Russia, who were invading from the North, and the US were scared Russia would keep what they conquered after the war. The scare tactic did work, at the cost of over 200 000 Japanese lives. Did Japan deserve it? Probably yes, as retribution for the war crimes they committed. But this doc is inaccurate. Then again. it is the BBC.
@@johanleroux9240 WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT?!
@@johanleroux9240 japan only wanted peace on condition that she kept her empire terms which the allies had already rejected.
Never confuse mercy with weakness.
@@johanleroux9240 their terms of surrender are completely laughable and unacceptable to allied standards UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER is the only way to stamp out imperial Japan
"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto...
The "sleeping giant" was spoiling for a fight and provoked Japan enough that it started one. The war in the Pacific had nothing to do with the European war, but was a brawl between America and Japan for control of the Pacific and isolationist America was not amused by Japan's desire for expansion in the region.
Yamamoto was wrong in fact the giant was not sleeping but waiting for a reason to join the war
I hate to bust your bubble, but Yamamoto never said that.
@@antonioacevedo5200 You better check that. What I have just read, confirms he did.
@Peg Leg Including the Spanish Empire in 1898?
This was an enemy for whom showing mercy was considered a weakness.
@8866 Panda Talk shit get hit. You guys start the war and act like victims 😒😒
You could be talking about gen. Sherman the Yankee.
On Sunday, July 22, 1945, Truman crossed off Kyoto as a target and sealed Hiroshima’s doom. He did it to save the lives of young American soldiers. That very night, he dined with one such soldier, the nephew of his personal physician, Captain Alphonse McMahon. That soldier was my father, John R. Thomas Jr. You can read about it in the minutes of Truman’s European trip, which can be found online.
That is one helluva family story you have there, David!
@@demef758 The specs of it are just nuts, which are too many and too much to tell here. In any case, a true Greatest Generationer, Dad never told me: I found out by doing genealogical work on the family and stumbled across the minutes of Truman’s trip; the data the Army stamped on the back of an autographed photo Truman gave my father and David McCollough’s book /Truman/ filled in the rest. Thankfully I learned it before Dad passed so I could talk with him about it.
Secretary of War Stimson made the decision to spare Kyoto.
Nice story, but not exactly true. Hiroshima was one of three cities (Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Kokura) that were on the target list on the day of the bombing. Weather conditions on that fateful day were the final consideration that sealed Hiroshima's fate. Don't mean to burst your bubble, but Hiroshima's "doom" was not sealed on July 22nd, it was sealed by weather conditions on August 6th.
their medieval mentality did not understand the concept of mercy. if they could have done it wrong they did so.
It is still there deeply rooted "YAKUZUNI SHRINE"
just think about if Germany would worship their war criminals in a comparable manner
Explain "medieval mentality" to the Germans who slaughtered Jews by the millions or the thousands of Chinese and Malaysians who were slaughtered in cold blood or no reason. Wagging war is nasty and always will be.
Kevin W what they Germans did in WWII wasn’t medieval by any means , they killed purely 20th century in the industrial style ...true war will always be nasty but the Germans at this time were considered evolved but perhaps the bad way
1:36 I like how Churchill moved his seat closer to Truman
My dad God Rest his soul was a Marine in the Pacific island campaigning and he told me stories when I was a young boy about they gave the Japanese a way out as far as the unconditional surrender but they were willing to fight to the last man private citizens everybody they were going to resist at all cost my father had said that President Truman had no alternative but there was a way out but at that time the emperor refused it was unfortunate but by dropping that atomic bomb it brought World War II in the Pacific to an end I will always tell my father God Rest his soul and simplify I myself am a former Marine
Terry,
Salute to you and your courageous father. Mine was Navy WW2 and Army Korea.
You will always be a Marine. No "former" about it, the same way I will always be an Airman decades after my enlistment was over.
Semper Fi.
Retreat hell! 2/5
Honorable Discharge
Crew chief on the C-141b
Reading this now, I'm starting to fear that unless Russia gets nuked, they will never stop.
The Japanese killed and tortured millions of Chinese, they never showed mercy to woman , children, or prisoner 's of war .They tried to take over the world along with Germany.If either country had the BOMB we were toast . America had no choice but to end the madness. Truman is a hero .100 percent !!!
The Japanese entered Korea, north and south at the beginning of the war, and cut down and removed every tree in the country.
Also they (Japan) have never apologise to ANYONE for this crimes.
@Click me know to be fair after dropping it he realized he didn't have to send millions of americans to their deaths so I can understand why he slept soundly.
Well as a neutral I will say that both of you are criminals in fact, at least the Japanese stopped their crimes after the war while I can't say the same about you when I see what you did after that in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine and other countries. Then think about this, if the Americans wanted to gain the upper hand in the negotiation they could have detonated the bomb in an uninhabited place just to show its power even though it was a cheap tactic, but instead they chose to detonate it in two populated cities, sacred heroism hhh
@@بلالجوال-ذ8ذ And you guys have been continuing your criminality since the days of Mohammad
I always explained it like this - They were willing to fight until oblivion. After the two atomic bombs were dropped they had the opportunity to see what that looked like. They peered into the shadowy abyss and oblivion stared right back at them. They didn't like what they saw. That caused them to finally come to their senses and realize that continuing down that path was *not* in their best interest.
I think Japan had a naive hope that the Soviet Union who they still were neutral with would help them hammer out a bargain with the US too. Though on August 9th the Soviets declared war on Japan and attacked them. Two atomic bombs and being attacked by the Soviets made it increasingly clear they were just going to be bombed until they folded, period.
Very poetic!
If US hadn't insisted on Japan losing their Emperor they might well have surrendered. BUT America wanted to show the Soviets what they could do if push came to shove. So the Japanese had to die.
@@petergilkes7082
"Not insisted on japan not losing their emperor" So America should have should have let a guy still in total power as emperor after he attacked their country, under whose watch millions across Asia were butchered including barbarism like Nanking, Baton death march etc.
It wouldn't have been any different than Allies letting Hitler stay in power along with Nazi party in Germany if they got a surrender offer in 1944.
The Japanese had to die because their stupid rulers put their pride over lives of millions of Japanese. Some of them had to die so hundreds of thousands of US soldiers wouldn't die in full scale invasion of Japan, along with millions of Japanese.
@@epa2349 Oh dear.
I think we all will look into the abyss before we learn to leave war behind
The Japanese civilian population was digging in for an insurgency that would've made Okinawa look like an afternoon of Laser Tag. Anything less than unconditional surrender by Emperor Hirohito himself would have created far more casualties.
The actor portraying Truman was a bit plump for the role.
I thought that as well
Ya, one too many donuts. The actor who played the warden in Shawshank Redemption would have been a much better choice.
@@musingsandmore8630 Do you mean Bob Gunton?
@@Steve14ps Yes, that's him. I didn't know his name, thank you. He seems to be ideal for a Truman role given his appearance.
Also not a big enough @$$ &#%!*.
My 5th Infantry Division was scheduled to storm the Japanese main Islands. I considered this a death sentence and when the bombs fell and the Japanese surrendered I called myself a son of the atom bomb for a while.
We were on a months leave in the US after leaving Europe when Hiroshima and Nagasaki were obliterated.
My grandfather was getting ready for his division to invade Japan - the Big Red 1 Infantry Div. too
Are you still alive?
@@willamestrada1121 I'm answering your question, that makes me think I'm still here!
Recently survived prostate operation. Anesthesia knocked out part of my brain!
Next pause: 100 yrs!
@@edgarvalderrama1143 so glad you are still alive!
@@willamestrada1121 Thanks, me too!
I'm a Progressive, and a lot of people on my side of the political spectrum condemn the nuclear attack, and I've always said to them if you can prove to me that the Japanese would have surrendered without it and without wasting thousands of Allied lives in an invasion I'll agree with you. I've never gotten a satisfactory response.
I think that's because most on your side of the spectrum think of themselves as 'World Citizens' first and foremost, and refuse to accept that the protection of the life and liberty of US citizens should be the No1 priority for any President. That's why millions vote for Trump- he may be a total idiot, but at least they feel he's on their side.
@@horrortackleharry - wrong - many historians concede Japan's leaders were interpreting their position in the war from the remaining strengths of Japan's military - in this respect the strategic bombings of civilians had little impact as was the case with the European war which showed strategic bombing did not deliver the knock out punch required for a surrender - Japan surrendered when it lost its last reserves in Asia and became totally surrounded by US and the Soviets whom it feared the most - also Trump is no idiot - anyone who calls him an idiot is an idiot himself for sure
But . . but . . but . . Reasons!
@@horrortackleharry They refuse to accept that the protection of life and liberty for US citizens should be a priority, or even a concern, for anyone. They would gladly give it all up for a world government, one which they ran of course.
@@horrortackleharry ...THE IMAGE OF DONALD TRUMP AS AN "IDIOT" IS THE RESULT OF WHEN THE MAINSTREAM NEWS MEDIA SETS OUT TO RUIN SOMEBODY!!!
ANYBODY WHO TRIES TO SAY THAT THE MAINSTREAM NEWS MEDIA EVER TREATED DONALD TRUMP THE SAME WAY THAT THEY TREATED BILL CLINTON AND OBAMA- IS A GODDAM LIAR!!!
3:00 well that was a hell of a miscalculation.
Built in America, tested in Japan.
Phrase that Keepers of the Dragon used.
M Detlef no, there were no drop and the gun-type (Little Boy) had no test at all. So the only “test” was of a warhead, not a bomb. The whole weapon, both gun and implosion types were first “tested” in Japan.
But originally planned for Germany: facts accepted by historians which dispel any urban myth ''test''.
@@cowboylee9457 Art is right, the New Mexico tests were to establish the Fusion Theory, but the type of mechanism to start the cascade was not used until the weapons on Japan. They worked "in theory", which would have been pretty fucked up had we dropped a fully functional Atomic UBX on Japan.
@@imtoooldforthisstuff Fission, not fusion. Fusion bombs (thermonuclear) didn't come until later.
Notice Japan hasn't attacked ANYONE since 1945.
unlike the usa who is now dominating the globe with its nefarious empire
@@michaelhall6340 Haters are going to hate. Whatever. Name one nation on the planet, EVER, that did more for the Earth than the USA.
Only because they are not allowed to, didn't you know that? It's one of the conditions imposed. They are only allowed to defend themselves.
thats because of the surrender terms and limitations on their defenses written into their constitution. its also because of the type people they are and the miracle job MacArthur did.
@@lawrencehawkins7198 The USA is a double-edged sword for humanity. But unlike other hegemonies such as China, the USA is a democratic state, and she propagates democracy, freedom, human rights as well as the calamity of atomic bombs among other nations.
Yes. My father, a high-ranking Army officer riding every day with his Soviet Army counter-parts, believed they would lose at least 3/4 of a million men taking Japan.
They didn't have to take it Japan was beat.
@@redwater4778 That is not the issue. The Japanese were sworn to defend their nation to the death. What don't you get about "Kamikaze?" Did you view these videos training children how to fight us hand-to-hand?
@@1LSWilliam They surrender could have been accepted without occupation. Occupation was only necessary to assume the industries of Japan.
@@redwater4778 You could not be more seriously in error. The Emperor's top military had to beg him after the first bomb was dropped to accept unconditional surrender, and the only reason he did was when he realized they would have assassinated him.
In reality, about 10,000 bombers were being routed from Europe. There would have been very little hand-to-hand fighting. We would have bombed them for six months until winter weather made it impossible and then sat back and let winter conditions do what Small Pox did to the Indians. Go in the next Spring and set up the 49th state.
My father was home on leave from the European front because that part of the war was over but he was going to get redeployed to the Pacific to fight there. Then they dropped those bombs and he never left again. He left the military, went back to his job, met my mother, and got married. I am here because of those bombs.
By this logic, how many Japanese can't say any thing right now? Even how many Americans can't say no thing (Considering that your mother with this logic would have married someone else and had other children for example), anyways the reality is what happened has happened and that will not be changed, that does not preclude that it was one of the biggest crimes in history.
I bet you are a bombshell.
So touching. And how many are not here because of the bombs?
@@SuperBunkerbuster did you not see the documentary, they refused to give up. Even after the bombs were dropped, the army tried to sabotage the Emperors surrender speech. Your blame should lie at the people who wanted this war to go on.
@@123tinhat123 Yes I did see this documentary when it was aired on 2005 for the 60th anniversary of Hiroshima, and the point of view is largely based on Truman’s memoir claiming that the bomb saved “half a million American lives”.
This claim is has been largely deconstructed since as a false justification for the atomic bombs. The true reasons are that the US wanted a first test of the uranium bomb at Hiroshima (Trinity test and Nagasaki were plutonium bombs) and a full scale test on a real target (which could be considered a war crime against civilians), showcasing why they spent 2 billion USD (equivalent of 32 billion USD) in this program as well as their power to the world; and speed up the end of the war to not have to share Japan with the communists like Germany and Korea.
In August 1945, Japan was starving, all their ressources were depleted with the lost of their fleet, air forces and merchant routes to their lost colonies,…
Seriously even if the army didn’t want to surrender at this point, it would have been a matter of time before it happens, and even a mainland invasion by the Allies would have cost few casualties given the shortage of everything and the absence of tanks and defensive infrastructures as they thought their mainland would never experience an invasion.
Admiral yamamoto was asked about attacking the American mainland. He had been a student in America and had gone hunting with fellow students. He said "there will be a rifle behind every tree".
Mark Nostrant - I believe he said something like "expect to find a rifle behind every blade of grass" - hooray for the 2nd amendment - thank you founding fathers of America
The atomic bombing's saved American lives, and ended the worst war in history. Japan started the fight at Pearl harbor, the US finished it.
Your right on mate and their wanton aggression came back to bite them in their asses. Big time!!!
@The Truth Hogwash and revisionist history, with not a shred of real evidence backing it up. Truman knew an invasion would be a bloody mess. If anything, he wanted the Soviets to share in an invasion if one became necessary so as to lessen the number of Americans killed.
You are so misinformed. How ignorant people are to history. Sick of stupid people like you. It COST American lives to drag the war out almost a full year by not accepting their surrender. Even after the World court said we must, TWICE. Every man who died in the last 6 to 9 months of the Pacific war died for nothing.
@@mountianfolks , "not excepting their surrender"? What? Are you writing that Japan offered to surrender and the United States refused? Regardless, President Truman's decision to drop the bomb was 100% correct.
@@jasona9 Yes. learn your history. Twice the World court ruled that America MUST except Japans surrender. America ignored them. If america had excepted thousands of Americans would have survived the war. America wanted to experiment with their new toy. No amount of lives mattered to them. If you know of anyone who died in the last year of the war they died for nothing except a few men's lust to kill. Then America bombed two civilian cities killing 300,000 civilian people. Why do you not know simple history? Stupid? Uneducated? What?
Anyone who wondered why Truman elected the bomb when he originally opposed the idea needs only to look at Operation Downfall, the operations order for the invasion of Japan. The U.S. discounted occupation of the entire main island, and would seize only Tokyo and the land south of the city. And, just that operation would cost 1,000,000 U.S. casualties, until millions of Japanese dead, and that war would have been extended by another 3-years.
My father at the age of 15 a US marine served in the South Pacific watched friends die and had witnessed these brutal fanatics first hand in action was relieved when the war ended.
My uncle was in the 1st. Marine Division that fought in the Battle of Guadalcanal which was the very first land battle fought by Americans in WWII. His best friend was blown to bits just a few feet away from him while he and my uncle were out repairing the airfield while more Japanese planes were dropping more bombs trying to stop them. My uncle died years later from complications due the malaria he became infected with while fighting at Guadalcanal.
I had another uncle who was in the US Army and fought in the Philippines where he won the Purple Heart.
Japanese had families too.
@@Canadianvoice YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET A WHOLE LOT OF SYMPATHY-!!!
@@Canadianvoice THE CHINESE HAD FAMILIES TOO- AND WHO STARTED THAT DAM WAR?!!
DON'T EMBARRASS YOURSELF!!
Kurt Homan my father had contacted malaria also..i remember seeing a picture of him skin and bones from the disintary I guess you can never give blood once exposed.
Whatever may be said those 2 bombs meant that atomic bombs have up to present never been used again. They never knew the long lasting horrific effects on the population. Had it not been for Japan I am sure atomic bombs would have been used later such as in the Korean War.
John Grit they didn't know about the radiation back then. This can be seen by having all the soldiers located at the testing sites who got exposed to it.
@@Nick-ve1kg
Except for the Americans and the Germans since the Americans are the ones that finished the bomb first and the Germans are one of the pioneer in this nuclear fission to be used as a WMDs.
Horrible as it was, the fact they offered one last chance to give up AND it was favourable to the Japanese cannot be forgotten.
“Please surrender. I don’t want to kill your people, but I will not kill mine.”
that Japanese mentality still exists today.. they are stubborn beyond belief and also in no way shape or form will ever admit they are at fault or they made a mistake,.. still to this day that is how the Japanese society is led to think.. they would rather die than admit mistakes.... and they care not also for thier fellow men.. stubborn selfish nation..
There are a lot of people these days who falsely believe that dropping the atomic bombs was evil. It saved millions of lives, and the surrender it caused prevented any Soviet invasion of Japan. Seeing how disastrous Soviet occupation was, I think Japan should consider itself very fortunate.
@@nickp3315 As bad as it sounds you are right
@@abram6282 US should treat Japan more mercifully just like how a father punish his kid but not go all out to obliterate or destroy Japan. US can play with Japan and prolong the 'war' with Japan till the 1950s or even 1960s.
@@huiyinghong3073 If you'd be in their place you would have chosen the same.
The fact is this happened ... Crying and bemoaning the event wont change it .... Japan asked for it .... And got it
@Douglas Eakin Media Because Japan was truly doing nothing horrific or threatening to anybody before Pearl Harbor. What a pathetic joke.
And FDR egged it on to get the US to enter the war so he could be the one to save the US from the Depression.
The chinese and Japanese were of no concern. To the US.
George Washington plainly stated in his farewell address to avoid foreign entanglements. FDR should've been impeached.
@@dregnis-488 not so. japan was busy killing thousand in china for oil. they were not acting like victims. they were killing innocent civilians by the hundreds of thousands as far back as 1936 i believe. thats why rosevelt placed a oil embargo on them and as a result the attack on pearl.
@@wildlandfirefighter5656 We were out of the depression by 40. FDR wasnt an idiot. Also its a fallacy that wars are good for a economy. think about it. tanks cost money to make and blow shit up or get blown up with workers inside as opposed to tracters that plow soil to plant seeds that grow to product to sell and eat. one product kills your economy. one creates wealth. one drains wealth. uou want to put your growing evonomy on the ropes? make it retool a assembly line that made things people want and need and will pay for to building things that contribute nothing to the economy and uses up natural resources need someplace that does produce wealth, then you the manufacturer gets payed years later or not at all. Oh, and tax the living shit out of the public and have your skilled work force blown to bits. That sound like a good way to stimulate the economy to you? no way.
"All war is hell." General William Tecumseh Sherman.
The Japanese code of honor, or Bushido, ensured that the Allied casualty count would have been astronomical. I`m thankful Truman did what he did, or my future father may never have come home.
soylentdean Your future father? Is he not your father now?
@@guswilliams9603 He wasn`t then. He hadn`t even met my mother at that time.
@Hey Wassup Sorry, but the Japanese only offered a conditional surrender. All major countries that are part of the Allies (The Soviet Union, UK, US, France, and the Republic of China) wanted the Japanese to surrender unconditionally.
@Hey Wassup What? Truman and MacArthur wanted to keep all members of the Imperial Family alive. The Americans just wanted the Emperor to deny his divinity. Your sprouting lies and revisionism. You don't have an evidence for that. And if Truman wanted to hang the Emperor he could have done it after the war but he didn't. And the Emperor wasn't involved in war crimes because he was only a figure head.
@Hey Wassup so you are ok with the fire bombing raids on Tokyo ? that killed MORE people in 2 days than both atomic bombs combined. ah but that is ok for you ?? as long as the USA DID NORMAL BOMBS it was ok. hmm
The US minted 500,000 Purple Hearts in expectation of an invasion of Japan, but they were thankfully not awarded. They were still giving them out beyond the Vietnam War.
Yo, ya dont drive the lightning- ya fuckn ride the lightning.
Jayden Hoeg I sail Lightning Class sailboats.
They’re still using them.
John Sluder My old man would disagree with you were he still around. He fought his way across the Pacific as a Marine rifleman. Contracted malaria on Guadalcanal, was wounded by white phosphorous on Okinawa. He and thousands upon thousands of others faced the prospect of dying on Japanese beaches. The death toll on civilians would've exceeded by far the losses at Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. The only thing that finally dissuaded the obdurate militants in Japan to surrender were those bombs. If I had a time machine I'd send you back to Okinawa and hand you a Garand.
John Sluder You imbecile, don't presume to lecture me about history. Even after Hiroshima the Japanese Army did not counsel surrender. It cited the fact that people wearing white were more or less immune to the blast. And you forget entirely what the Japanese had done to China beginning in '33. I guess you're okay with that.
My father was on a ship headed to the Japanese invasion. The estimated casualty-dead rate was 40% or more on the first two waves. Peace talks started after dropping the two nuclear weapons and the Navy turned the ship around toward the USA. ' glad we dropped those two bombs on Japan--- Kenneth, from Missouri and Texas
In 1945 my father, a bomber navigator , was pulled out of his 2cd tour over Germany to retrain on B 29s in preparation for the invasion of Japan. They were told to expect similar losses. And even after 2 a bombs, portions of the Japanese army mutinied and tried to stop the broadcast of the Emperor's surrender broadcast. They really did not have an option not to use every weapon they had.
Kenneth Sumerford
- if you want to believe we won the war by attacking and killing civilians then be my guest - that is the coward's view
My father was in the 101st airborne in Austria at the time and was told they were to be shipped to the Pacific for the invasion. They were told to expect 40% casualties as well. Many people can't seem to understand how many lives were saved by those bombs. May they never need to be used again.
@@thomaspropst2705 - nonsense- those bombs saved no one simple reason they did not end the war - something else made the Japanese leaders surrender when they did and it was not the bombs
@Thedoom turtle - more importantly this is what emperor Hirohito said about why he surrendered due to Russia on August 17, 1945 speech "Now that the Soviet Union has entered the war against us, to continue the war under the present internal and external conditions would be only to increase needlessly the ravages of war finally to the point of endangering the very foundation of the Empire's existence With that in mind and although the fighting spirit of the Imperial Army and Navy is as high as ever, with a view to maintaining and protecting our noble national policy we are about to make peace with the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union and Chungking." speaks for itself
The enemy understands only one thing, Power.
I had two uncles who fought in the Pacific. I remember asking them if we should have dropped the bomb. they both said we should have dropped it sooner before a lot of their buddies got killed.
It just wasn’t available, not until July 1945. And we gave the impression we had an endless supply of such bombs but that wasn’t true. We basically shot our bolt with what we dropped and bluffed, but it was enough.
Japan’s leaders consistently displayed disinterest in the city bombing that was wrecking their cities. And while this may have been wrong when the bombing began in March of 1945, by the time Hiroshima was hit, they were certainly right to see city bombing as an unimportant sideshow, in terms of strategic impact.
Taking out the agriculture and fishing fleet may have been a better idea. Starving people are not good workers.
@@brucewelty7684 - under the existing Hague and other laws of war civilians and civilian abodes were protected from bombing were not military targets - strategic bombing of cities and killing civilians was in fact illegal which makes carpet bombing and using nukes a war crime in WW2 yet we consider these airmen and leaders to be heroes - such is the lunacy of war
Not entirely true. At this point all the bombings had destroyed major factories and a lot was produced in individual homes. Cities especially, making them manufacturing hubs. Setting entire cities on fire was directly targeting their materiel production. Once Hiroshima and Nagasaki were put in the microwave it became clear that the US would cripple their manufacturing capabilities.
@@nickp3315 - manufacturing capabilities? most of the factories were on the outskirts of Hiroshima and were untouched by the a bomb in fact the city was chosen over a military target and its population was indeed the target of the atomic bomb - 120,000 deaths is too large a number to be collateral damage - you have no argument
@@majorrgeek at the same time, how many would have died without the bombs? millions on both sides. it's possible they hoped that their ruthlessness in attacking a civilian population like the Japanese did would convince them more effectively but who knows.
Japan was hard core in those days. They would have put up a terrible fight if invaded, millions would have died, on both sides. Bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki was horrific, but anything less would not make them surrender. And we treated them well after the war, they are now one of our greatest allies.
All Americans need to bed reminded of this. Frequently.
Andrew, I was setup with a date 20 years ago with a young woman from Japan who was working at the world bank. She was taking english lessons from my cousin and that's how I met her. To break the ice he asked each of us at the dinner table what view each of us had of the other's country. I gave my general view Japan and then she gave hers. She said, " Japan thinks of America as a big brother because we lost the war but America did not punish us " . To this day I choke up every time I retell that story. I have a undergraduate degree in History and these things matter deeply to me. Thanks for your blog.
indeed like NATO, remove your military bases and see how fast they will run away and remind you for the rest of your days about the nukes and have you pay compensations.... the only reason you have allies/vassals is as long as us army is present in those countries nothing more, just business...
@@roudyr00t98 Certainly true for some countries, but I hope not for all. I prefer to believe we have some true allies around the world. Right now, with Japan being threatened by China, North Korea, and possibly by Russia, I bet there are a lot of Japanese that are glad we have bases in their country. I have read the US has 800 military bases outside of our country. That is a comfort to me as an American, but I am certain there is real resentment by at least some of the local people near those bases.
The japanese military bares FULL responsibility for hiroshima. They had long since lost the war.
The USA has to bare responsively for Hiroshima in the majoritive capacity, the innocent lives lost are irreplaceable, especially when you research and consider the evidence that shows the 2 bombs were not necessary
@@hannahmeek1107 Maybe you did`nt see the school girls with the sharp sticks? Maybe you missed the part where the Japanese talked about the kamikazi planes they had ready?
@@ricksmith7357 There is no doubt that Japan and the USA both contributed toward the events that led to the bombing, there are factors advocating for and against it. I acknowledge that the Japanese had defences planned and am well aware of wrong doing, this should never be forgotten, but does this warrant the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent people and the repercussions that affect generations today - such as cancer. My view is that the Hiroshima bombing was an unbalanced attack against the Japanese, one that was not necessary to win the war and affected Japanese lives in a disproportionate amount compared to the effect on Americans and their allies. The patriotism in support of the bombing and the deaths of countless innocent lives is often celebrated, is this something to be proud of? Although soldiers are serving their country, should they and the government be heroes for ending so many lives? I would argue not. This can be applied to every war effort from every country that resulted in loss of life. We should be questioning the choices and policies of our governments, we cannot blindly follow and believe every decision they make without researching first, otherwise we open ourselves up to complete control with no democratic vote from the people. So whilst I acknowledge what you say, the response from the Japanese did not warrant such an extreme response from the USA and American lives should not be placed at a higher ranking than others nationalities and cultures.
Yep and was gave WARNING by USA that that may happen and waited another 3 days before the next bomb was dropped before they surrendered
Even yamamoto (one of the best general of japan) think that to go to war with the US is pure stupidity
I love that the Japanese have a word for "killing with silent contempt".
The biggest issue for Japan from what I have read is that their government was almost more like latin American countries today in that the military didn't have to answer to political leadership or obey the emperor at all. When Hirohito Jr took over at 24, they brought the Pearl Harbor plans they developed with Hirohito Sr months before and said this is what we're going to do. He told them the plan was suicidal and could result in the destruction of Japan, they laughed at him for being a naive "child". Couple this with the fact that they modernized the military weaponry rapidly but didn't scrap the fedual Samauri code and it was just a disaster waiting to happen.
We knew they didn't have food stocks to withstand and invasion for too long but the bloodbath that would've ensued before that point was unfathomable, estimates at the time were around 2 million US deaths, 4 million total.
Yes, their sense of Bushido has done more damage on their society in the modern age.
3:26 Watching the Japanese parts with auto subtitles is hilarious. It actually does seem like he’s saying “Did you come on Ava?”.
On a serious note though I think the US was justified in using the bomb. The lengths the Japanese were prepared to go in defense of their country were extreme. Soldiers strapping on explosive anti-tank suicide vests, kamikaze planes, kamikaze torpedoes, banzai sword attacks and all that wasn’t even on the Japanese mainland. The most moral way of fighting a war is to make it as brief and with the least amount of suffering possible. I don’t see how fire bombing every city and killing every soldier would’ve been better. Anyone who says it was unnecessary because the Japanese were negotiating terms of surrender is wrong. The Japanese were not negotiating with the intention of surrendering, they were negotiating with the intention of buying time. The more time they spent talking, meant more time they have to prepare their defenses.
If the US had invaded the Japanese homeland all of Japan’s forces would have been recalled home which would have meant death for the POW’s stuck in the Japanese camps. The Japanese had the habit of killing all the prisoners of a camp once it became obvious that they could not defend it anymore. Same habit as the Nazis. If Japan was invaded the USSR would’ve invaded from the north, the US from the south, and after 2 extra years tacked onto WW2 we would have another North Korea situation with a communist north and a democratic south.
Those are legitimate reasons for using the bomb, but the one reason that has no justification for the bomb’s use, is the fact they were curious as to how much of an effective weapon it was. Without a doubt that is one of the reasons why the bomb was used and it is a terrible reason. However, given the circumstances, I am not sure what a better alternative would’ve been.
My uncle gave me a book on "submarine warfare". In it there were pictures of some 500 Japanese mini subs which were Kamakasi devices, two man crews. They were outfitted to be able to survive on their own for about 2 to 3 months. They were to be scattered around all the Japanese ports and each one was to target the largest American ship in each port, and try to sink it..when we were "fat and happy" after the surrender. The nuclear drops had a connection with interrupting the ability of the Japanese to actually transport and field these subs.
When you bring a bamboo staff to an air-war.
When Japanese school girls actually used to be hardcore
LOL
No hello kitty.
Today they hire themselves out for softcore porn videos. They use the money to buy American made jeans and make-up.
@@Dr.Pepper001 Best denim in the world is from Japan.
My older daughters, blonde little Americans, went to Japanese schools, so I got myself elected to the local school board. Then the Board itself elected me Inspector, the one citizen-member who could go poking around in the schools themselves and interview teachers, administrators, and kids.
They're still pretty hardcore, I wanna tell you. Old Mrs. Matsushita ran a thick slice of Korean industry when she was in her late eighties, and my eldest daughter -- whose first language was pretty much Japanese, but who picked up Spanish while at university in the States -- ran the Philippines for her for ten years. Tough, competent bunch, that type.
hiroshima was sherman's march x MC 2. It shortened the war and saved lives. Period.
Yes by destroying a city, its inhabitants and ensuring the survivors are genetically mutated, lives were saved period.
@CB_Brawl stars I find it cowardly and sickening to annihilate an entire city consisting mostly of civilians, women and children - it defies basic code of warfare and it counts as genocide. Anyways what's done is done and hope history does not repeat itself. Brainwashed Yankies are anyways going to continue milking the "we saved the planet" BS.
@CB_Brawl stars the Japanese army was defeated by the Russians in Manchuria FYI. there was no fucking army left. US bombed innocent civilians.
No not period. A major consideration in dropping the bombs was to avoid a Russian invasion of Japan, which would have been unacceptable to the US.
@@jsmariani4180 Russian Army was formidable - Russian Navy was shit. Russia wasn't going to invade Hokkaido - best it could do was land some paratroopers in undefended kurils.
First the atomic bomb ended a war, second know one questioned the USA's ability to use the bomb (USSR, China),third it saved 1million US soldiers from dying, fourth it saved 20 million Japanese from dying(we would've fire bombed every major city in Japan before landing)Fifth the USSR would have gotten involved and kept the land they took(as they always do). So yes dropping the bomb was a good thing.
Robert,
Agreed in general. Stalin did enter the war for a few days at the end, and the Manchukuo Army panicked and ran -- abandoning the substantial Japanese population of Manchuria to their fate. But Russia gave it back after Mao's victory in 1949.
Mongolia is a more complicated story, about which I do not yet know the truth.
Korea, similarly, is a mess about which our Official Truth is only partly correct. Korea is riven by ethnic division which were exploited by both Northern and Southern dictators, the Kims in the North, Rhee and his successors in the South. The story that the Korean War was started by Stalinist invasion is false: there was a genuine Communist uprising against Rhee in the South and the US intervened to help the South Korean government suppress it. How and when the North Koreans, and later the Chinese, got into it is a story colored by the propaganda of both sides. I don't know. The South has evolved happily and well. The North has not.
As an Australian speaking for myself only.
america is shit.
The same excuse of bullshit by the AMERICANs
in a war victors has everything
life and property
thats why no one could stopped russia when they took over on areas
very roughly, USA and Russia divided the world as they wanted
MrAMYJACK America is allied with Australia and I personally love Australia.
Shouldn’t have woken the “sleeping giant”.
Nor step on the griffin tail...If you do, be prepared to get STOMP!
Which one? The USA? - an overweight> obese> unread> mentally ill slob - today.
We are still a giant because explain why we always dominate the Olympics and athletes always come to America to use our facilities and medicine. We have those problems you mentioned because we have more freedoms than the rest of the world.
@@dhss333 Your perception of the USA is flawed just as was the Japanese hierarchy.
That was Admiral Yamamoto wasn't it?
These re-enactments are top-notch!
Watching this on the 16th of July 2022, never forget.....
Never forget that Japan's people were so indoctrinated that it took unleashing the power of the sun on them twice to break through their delusions to end the bloodiest war in history, which Japan started with their invasion of Manchuria.
good video.
Probably the worst miscalculation in the history of man. Nice move, Suzuki. With an attitude like that, Japan got what they deserved.
Looking at the peaceful Japanese people of today and war monger s of 1945 it s difficult to believe that both are from the same nation .
That's because they are not the same. The Japan that attacked us at Pearl Harbor was replaced by a Japan molded by the United States. The Japanese people have greatly benefited over the years by following the new path we laid down for them.
@@therealtampadude9175 I differ ... The path today Japanese are following does not match with either present or past US way of doing things . What Japan has done is to shed the aggression but retain all other good things of their traditions . These traditions are much older than the modern US .
The Atomic Bomb showed the Japanese Military that their Bushido Samurai Ethos would lead to the obliteration of their civilization itself if they continued on carrying on the war, bomb or no bomb.
What happened to the Official BBC Documentary channel?
They left out "rain of ruin from the air the likes of never seen".
The Japanese also started to realize that once the Soviets declared war on them, they were screwed and if/when they lost the war, they would loose a lot more than just real estate.
In this report they could have mentioned that the Navajo Indian code talkers had broken the Japanese language code, which had a HUGE effect on the outcome of the war! The Japanese had no idea that we knew all they were saying, but the Japanese had no idea of what the Navajo Indian code meant! How many lives did they save?.?
Those young men saved thousands of lives, both American and Japanese, and I think there are several still alive!
The Navajo's were not the code breakers.
@@fredkruse9444 If I was wrong with the tribe, please correct me so I will be able to correct my statement and give credit to the correct tribe! They did such a tremendous job for us, I DON'T want to slight them! Thanks.
@@patgarrett2152 It was not a tribe of Indians who had anything to do with breaking the Japanese cyphers. It was the work of a bunch of nerds, not one of whom was an Indian.
The Navajo code TALKERS made an important contribution in speaking a language that utterly defeated the Japanese attempts to understand it. But that had nothing to do with the Japanese cyphers.
@@louisc.gasper7588 I guess my statements were not quite correct! It was a group of Navajos that sent OUR messages in a language the Japanese were not able to understand! They didn't do anything about breaking the Japanese code, they just confused the Japanese with the Navajo Indian code!
Is that a clearer description of the great contribution they made to end the war?
I hope that is a more correct statement of their great contribution to ending the ezr
@@patgarrett2152 Yes, I believe your restatement is historically accurate. Thank you.
The most underrated President in U S history. He saved numerous American prisoners.
Yes, Harry was a good one and you are right way underrated.
Have you read President Hoover's memoir, Freedom Betrayed?
According to Hoover, it was Roosevelt who planned to push Japan into the Pacific War.
The “acting” and characterizations regarding this momentous decision in human history are sophomoric.
Just imagine the disappointment of cleaning up after that first bomb thinking the worst was over
We should not forget history
Didn’t Suzuki go on to make motorcycles after the war using our G.I . Bill ?
“Few in continental Asia cried when Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nuked”.
I'm sure every Asian country outside of Japan threw a party when they heard. They all hated Japan and all the brutal stuff they did to their people.
A great series
Where can I see the rest of this? One impressive documentary.
It is a shame that humans cannot share this world to this day.
It is against our nature.
I prefer honda rather than suzuki...
i prefer toyota rather than honda
I just bought isuzu
Lol
I respect that
Both were assumed industries after the war
250.000 suffered or died, so millions could live. Seems like a fair deal to me.
More like 100's of million people alive today for the one's who lost their lives in Hiroshima, or Nagasaki. Not just in Japan, but in the U.S.A.included.
How do you figure? How could bombing innocent Japanese civilians save any lives? Please don't repeat propaganda... Give me facts on any lives saved by dropping a nuclear bomb...
@@halbie71 "No American lives were lost". Therein lies the problem. Let's turn it around... Your wife and children that were just going about their business not at war with anyone are fried instantly... Would you find solace anywhere in that? We dropped the bomb for revenge. There were many alternatives. We were not about to spend 2 billion dollars for this magnificent creation and not use it? No way! Let's stop repeating the lie of the means justify the end. Do not recompense evil with evil.
@@actuallyalexissss thats lunacy ya know? in War there are no one who is innocent. just read the Nuremberg Trials. the Judge stated it clearly.
They ( the Japanese) did not have to attack Pearl Harbor. They did not have to attack China they did not have to attack the Phillipines.. the USA stayed out of the war ( aside from meeting the terms of agreement with our allies) until Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in a seriously underhanded sneaky first strike attack with the full intention of wiping out our Naval Carriers. which would have left the USA Vunreable to other attacks and possibley we might all be speaking Japanese/German today.
this is where the Pacifists ALWAYS get it wrong.
Peace, lasts ONLY until the next aggressor comes along.
@@actuallyalexissss yes MORE importantly NO American lives were lost!!! We have already lost TOO many American lives in Europe & the Pacific during WW ll. Let's turn it around. Would you rather see your family killed or your neighbor's family killed? Secondly an all out bombing campaign & an all out invasion of Japan would have killed many more innocent lives. Thirdly the Japanese were stubborn & knew they were going to lose the war eventually before the first atomic bomb was dropped but they still refused to surrender. After the first atomic bomb was dropped they still refused to surrender. It took a second atomic bomb to finally convinced the stubborn & too proud Japanese military leaders to admit defeat & to surrender. Lastly, don't you think if the Japaneses had an atomic bomb before the U.S., they would have used it against the U.S.? John Hampton if you want to blame anybody, blame the stubborn & TOO proud Japanese military leaders who put their OWN people in harm's way!!!
Nice bit of unbiased BBC reporting.
Guy playing Truman is way too heavy. Truman was a very close friend of my grandfather. He always stayed healthy by taking a walk each day.
What did your grandfather think of James Whitmore Jr's portrayal of Truman in "Give 'Em Hell, Harry"?
1:39 Churchill moves chair. Interesting
0:09 It make me ill to think what would have happened if the invasion had actually gone ahead. Your average US soldier, then and now, has an aversion to shooting children, especially little girls-- but they have an even bigger aversion to having anyone stick a spear in their gut. Civilian casualties in an invasion of Japan would have been mind-bogglingly horrible.
1 to 10 million Japanese dead.
Many middle school kids.
Mass suicides as they feared we would treat them as they treated others. Just horriblex100.
Japan : (attacks pearl harbor)
Usa: *Imma end this guys whole career*
"Circumstances must have arisen that force America to end the war." Yup.
Antony Dyatlov
- wrong, America ended nothing, the Pacific WW2 ended due to the impossible situation Japan faced following the Russian declaration of war and attack on Japan's forces startin on August 8 - Sep 2, 1945
@@majorrgeek the Russian threat was an existential thing, and has been demonstrated, they had a bunker mentality. The bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima left them with nowhere to turn.
@@antonydyatlov9194 - demonstrated by whom? - not by the Japanese or Hirohito - read what Hirohito said on August 17 a weeks or so after the bombings "Now that the Soviet Union has entered the war against us, to continue the war under the present internal and external conditions would be only to increase needlessly the ravages of war finally to the point of endangering the very foundation of the Empire's existence With that in mind and although the fighting spirit of the Imperial Army and Navy is as high as ever, with a view to maintaining and protecting our noble national policy we are about to make peace with the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union and Chungking." - Seal of The Empire - Signed Hirohito - August 17 - kinda throws cold water over your "existential" theories about the holy bomb myth
Pre-Iraq, there was argument about the casualties that both sides would have incurred. I doubt most Iraqis were as devoted to Saddam as the Japanese to their emperor but the butcher’s bill speaks for itself.
They spared the guilty Emperor of Japan from any responsibility in the war nice going.
Hirohito should have been hanged for war crimes.
Whether Hirohito was complicit or not (though he was imo) is really not the point. MacArthur understood that he was key to easing the transition to American occupation and governance of the Japanese people. They were so loyally devoted to him that putting him on trial or otherwise punishing him may have made governance without massive use of oppression all but impossible. It was the right thing to do at the time.
@V. V How can you possibly assert that that was the case? It was the Emperor's word that eventually ended the war. The truth is, we'll never know to what extent the Emperor participated in the war, because immediately following the war, that was what was most beneficial to most parties (victorious allies included).
@@NT-fo3me - nonsense Hirohito was spared for one reason only - "Moreover, the enemy has begun to employ a new and most cruel bomb.." Aug 10 & 15 statement is not an admission but a warning Hirohito would be prepared to go public on USA war crimes big time in the event he should be tried for war crimes
@@majorrgeek Hirohito had ZERO ability at that point to make accusations of any kind. He had unconditionally surrendered and under the control of the US. The last worry of the US at that point was war crime accusations from the man whose armies slaughtered Nanking.
Why didn't they just say.. "listen, don't think we are softening the terms for our desperate needs, no no no, boy if you don't take this we will for real blow a damn city up.. think about it.."
I understand now. I thought negotiating with the enemy at the time would've solved the problem, but now I 100% agree with you. Feel like this woulda been a god damn good conversation over beers in real life. Haha. Respect.. and of course.. Cheers!
The problem was that the Japanese people had an Emperor that was ACKNOWLEDGED publicly as a God here on earth.
they would follow him anywhere including into a war and die (Kamakazi) in spectacular stye for him.. and even though the Emperor wasn't at all for the war personally, his position as a "Living God" was being used by the prime minister and the Military Zealots who had seized control of Japans internal and external Political power.
even After the atomic bombings, the Army sent 1000 soldiers to storm the palace to seek out a recording that The Emperor had made in his own voice accepting the surrender terms. (because it was said that the people could not listen to a Gods voice in person, so all messages to the people from the Emperor had to be recorded and broadcast).
if you look up ALL the special stipulations of the peoples interactions with the Emperor, you will see that this one man was both a political figurehead as well as a puppet of the military zealots of Japan with tons of insanely real power over the people, but none over the internal Government. who was using that power to sway the people into doing whatever they wanted.
They were training five years old to wield daggers and by the time they were 16 they were fully trained solders, they believed in their emperor to the point that they would sacrfice themselves, their children, and the entire countries resources, if required to protect their Emperor.
it was a cruel system that had no choice but to be stopped. There was no freedom for its people, and if left alone they would have fought until the very last person.
yes the atomic bomb was the worst weapon ever unleashed on This Earth, but it did "save" the japanese people to continue living. because if Operation "downfall" had taken place as planned. the carnage would have been UNTHINKABLE. as the allied forces had commited to an invasion force of 500K men to attack the Japanese mainland. the death toll on both sides would have been many times that of Both Hiroshima and Nagasaki together.
@@bennettmusiclabs9382 Those soldiers who would have survived the invasion of japan would have serious and I mean serious PTSD from all the death and pure brutality that the japanese would inflict on them
US already turned much of Tokyo and Yokohama to ashes in one night using conventional firebombing. The Japanese would not surrender. They could endure much more of that and US invasion of Japan would have been another Vietnam. But once the Soviets attacked them they knew they are done since US and USSR did have enough manpower to win a Vietnam.
They DID . Listen again .
When another nation dominates your airspace and has taken your airfields and conducts daily bombing raids over your cities, yet your nation hasn't touched their mainland... The writing's on the wall.
Japan actually did attack mainland US multiple times, they were extremely ineffective but they did do it.
@@Mgl1206 Your not referring to Hawaii are you? I would like to know more about the times they attacked the US mainland since this was not taught to me.
What film was used for the clips presented?
The 2005 BBC documentary "Hiroshima". As of 6/8/19 it is available to view on Netflix. Well worth seeing.
My granddad joined the army in August 1945, he was 17 and was stationed in Japan. He married my grandmother after knocking her up with my aunt.
He was part of the occupation forces then he occupied my gma.
funny!
You'd think they could have used actors that, a least somewhat resembled the actual people they are portraying...
Japan: Die
USA: Reverse uno card
USA: " NO, NO NO YOU WILL DIE!!!!!"
The atomic bombs saved countless Japanese lives. The victim mentality we see from contemporary Japanese citizens is being intentionally blinded to the atrocities of their military.
That part of Japan's history is not taught to Japanese schoolchildren. It has been whitewashed from their history books. Whereas, Germany has acknowledged the Holocaust and set up memorials so upcoming generations will know about what happened.
Was that John Hurt as narrator?
the REAL Truman show
We seriously underestimated Japan and overestimated Germany. By the time we had an effective force in Europe, Germany was defeated and retreating from Russia, fighting hard in order to surrender to Americans rather than Russians.
But two different times in the South Pacific, we were almost beaten by Japan.
"Casey,"
I had a friend who was Beachmaster at Tarawa as a young Colonel in the Marines. (We shared an office when he was a General seconded to the Nixon Administration.) You're certainly right that the Japanese fought with great ferocity and effect at times, but I wonder what you mean by their almost defeating us wice. What do you have in mind, other than Pearl?
Prior to the A-bombings US submarines fought a huge and successful war across the whole of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and the home islands were starving by 1944.
America's *other* secret weapon was DDT. The Japanese lost a million men to malaria in Malaya, where their garrison was never more than 300 thousand men. Their home population was still 50% rural in 1945, so they could still send down another 30,000 farm boys every month without really bothering to keep track. American troops beat their mosquitos: chemical warfare.
Loh Diwei - I realize it’s not commonly taught, but look up the battle for the Aleutians in addition to the Bataan Death March..
With Google available to confirm facts, I’m skeptical about facts I used to take as gospel. I spent my youth in the company of beer guzzling veterans of the S. Pacific battles. and my own experience hearing the new version of what happened to me in Vietnam (people assure me of things that amaze me though they never actually happened) has made me question everything I once knew for sure.
If Germany had not tried to invade Russia, they could have very well won
I do not think we underestimated the Japanese. Our leaders we're very apprehensive of the Pacific war, but our Allies insisted on the defeat of Germany first. And because of that, most of our resources were sent to the ETO. The Pacific war was fought with obsolete weapons and short of supplies because most of the good stuff being requested for the ETO.
Those that say the atomic bombs shouldn’t have been dropped have no idea of the circumstances of the time. There was no chance of Japan surrendering otherwise and dropping the bombs saved large numbers of Japanese lives as well as allied lives, and the war would have gone on for several more years. I also believe that the horror of dropping the bombs meant that none have been dropped since. I can’t imagine the devastation caused if H Bombs had been dropped during the Cuba crisis for example. Most of us wouldn’t be alive today.
There was actually a chance of Japan surrendering with a naval blockade but they chose the atomic bomb because they were a new weapon that was considered science fiction everywhere else.
@@thesherlockhound It also asserted the USAs position as the new world power.
The Japanese learned their lesson……… big time!
But you still got to feel bad for the innocent people that experienced the bomb
Thank God for President Truman's strength and resolve. He spared the loss of maybe 1 Million American soldiers that it would have taken to completely invade Japan and force them to surrender. The BEST DECISION possible for Truman.
“We Japanese not born yesterday. You Americans have no superbomb.”
I love the clip of him waving a fan like a woman in those days announcing that it was just a ploy. Great stuff.
US should drop the A bomb on Japan occupied China and obliterate Chinese cities in the process rather than dropping it on mainland Japan, while using the Japanese occupation as an excuse to do so. This will prevent the communist from winning and China to rise to power to be a future threat. After all its the Communist and Chinese that are a threat not the Japanese by that point, America can take their time to 'slowly play' with the Japanese till they surrender with no worries by that point.
Truman did the right thing. He saved thousands if not millions of lives on both sides.
Rev, may your soul burn in hell forever.
desi derata such a kind soul you are.
It was a sad event, but inevitable. War is bad. The nukes saved many lives in the long run.
At 1:40 you see Churchill moving his chair closer to Truman. The old bulldog was indeed a tough nut who hardly cracked under the duress of the war and wouldn’t yield to either Germans or Japanese but was too docile and subservient in his manners and conduct with USA. His moving the chair closer is but just an indication of how desperately close he wanted to be seen with any US president.
Maybe he liked his aftershave?
Or was he just hard of hearing; a few inches makes a big difference. But let’s analyze the hell out of that little gesture and choose the most sinister suggestion.
Elizabeth Dacosta You might’ve come to the same conclusion had you listened to his speeches regarding US relations with USA.
I have listened to some of those speeches, and was aware of his great admiration of the USA. He always advised UK Statesmen to “stand with the Americans.” But that could have been purely pragmatic. The USA was and still is the last best hope on earth, though, sadly, that hope is fading in recent years. Nevertheless, I think he moved his chair because he was hard of hearing.
Mango, How on earth could my comment be construed as pro-Hillary? I can’t stand her, and certainly didn’t vote for her! This conversation was about Churchill !?
Appearing in these scenes here are very familiar faces of Gerry Anderson productions, George Victor (Ed) Bishop (who voiced Captain Blue in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and played Commander Ed Straker in UFO) and Shane Rimmer (who voiced Scott Tracy in Thunderbirds)
They cast an actor with twice the girth of Truman! (@1:20 look at the actor, and then the clip of the real Truman right afterwards).
Yes, I thought the same thing. The Stalin actor was a dead ringer though!
When you please Harvey Weinstein you get the part.
Turns my stomach that Truman and Churchill we’re having to appear with and appease a monster like Stalin. Churchill despised him.
@@ronnieince4568 You forget that Stalin was cozy with Hitler and fine with his attack on Britain until it finally happened to Russia. LOL. Stalin hung Britain out to dry and they were alone against Hitler for almost two years before the bastard was forced to enter the war. If Churchill hated Stalin (and I don't think he did) he had ample reason.
@@hthesmith7915 Churchill made common cause with Stalin as he said that if Hitler had invaded hell Britain would have supported the Devil .He had no illusions about Stalin but the reality was the USSR were exterminating Germans faster than anyone else and I'm much greater numbers -war is about destroying your enemy and the enemy of your enemy is for the time being at least your friend .
the enemy of your enemy is your friend.
@@ronnieince4568 Sorry I'm still not grateful to the Russians. If the U.S. hand't gotten involved the eastern bloc countries would have extended as far west as GB. So, I'm grateful to the Americans.
@@ronnieince4568 I think you have missed the point, The Russians were not ruthless, you forget because its never mentioned, that Russia lost 28 million people in that war, in fact when it comes to the usual rules of war, the the victor the spoils it was America and the U.K that made sure that did not happen, Russia had beemn in Berlin three weeks before anyone else, but as I said at the cost of 28 million people, who were not fighting because of Starlin or his cronies, they fought for their country, and America and the U.K. said thanks very much to those who had been captured by the Germans by sending them back to Russia knowing full well that they would be sent to prison camps because they had not died fighting.
My wifes grandfather had his legs messed up by a land mine he was taken prisoner because he could not get away, he was one of those sent back and spent eighteen year in a prison camp because he had not died,
Both America and The U.K. knew full well that this would happen.
But it did not stop there, those from Poland who came to the U.K. to joint in the air defence of Gt.Briton, and without whos help we may well have lost the battle of Briton, once the war was over, it was a case of , O.K. thevwars over we dont need you anymore, go back to your uccupied Poland we dontnwantbyou here.!!!!
The use of nuclear weapons on civilians should have always been illegal.
Who or what was going to make it illegal in 1945?
And firebombing, mass rapes, starving civilians, blockaiding food, murdering POWs, using civilians as hostages, gassing people, invading nations, using biological weapons on civilians, etc., etc. was? Sorry... we had long since reached the point in WW2 were almost everything done was illegal. The point was then how to end the war as quickly as possible to prevent further murders?
Yes... it was illegal. It's also immoral, cruel, awful, etc. However, at that point nearly a million Chinese were dying each month. Tens of thousands of Japanese were dying from firebombing each month. Millions of Japanese civilians would have died has the war not ended before the winter. Maybe a half million allied and Japanese would have died in any type of invasion. Add more people in Korea, remaining occupied areas, etc. Sometimes illegal acts are the only or least awful option.
Ha...You sit there enjoying the freedom that was won so many years ago to say anything you want with the impunity that freedom guarantees you while passing judgement on a decision that saved thousands of lives. The responsibility of Hiroshima & Nagasaki rests squarely on the shoulders of the emperor and Imperial Japan. Aside from being the clear aggressor in the Pacific theater, they were given multiple chances to surrender, all of which, they rejected. I'm curious...Do you actually think what Hitler dd was "legal"?
I laugh at your garbage humanitarianism claiming that nuclear weapons on civilians should have been illegal. At some point war is war, and the Japanese started some shit they couldn't finish. If America could have wiped out only Japanese military they would have. And warnings were distributed to Japanese civilians before the bombs were dropped. The people of Japan should have removed their stupid leader, as he gambled their lives away. A fair warning made everything fair game.
I recognise John Hurt's voice at once!
Atomic Bomb: I am become death, shatterer of worlds.
Truman: I'll drink to that!
I’ll take TWO!
With the defeat of Germany, the Japanese were afraid Russia would declare war on Japan. This was as much a fear for Japan as the bomb because they didn't want Russia controlling them after a defeat.
This is nonsense perpetuated by the Russians. The Japanese were preparing for an American invasion not a Russian one. The Russians were neither planning an invasion nor capable of invading Japan.
The Russians were told to stay out of Japan by General McArthur. They were never truly involved with Japan and told to stay out which they did.
The Japanese citizens had been told horror stories of what the Americans would do to them. This is why the were Suicides by the citizens on Okinawa. You even have video of a Japanese woman jumping off a cliff with her baby to avoid capture. She was not afraid of the Russians.
@Rob Roy >The Soviets did exactly as requested, and also agreed to stay out of mainland Japan.
During immediate period after World War II, Stalin demanded the United States to cede Hokkaido to the Soviet Union. Fortunately, MacArthur refused his demand, otherwise Japan would be divided like Germany and Korea. Russians had a greedy ambition over Japanese territories, and probably even today.
@@robertmccoin1166 After World War II, Russians outrageous behaviors against Japanese women in Manchuria as well as their cruel treatments of Japanese POWs were spread among Japanese people. On the other hand, many Japanese were surprised to learn American invaders were humane and civilized unlike what they were taught by the Imperial government. That`s one of the reasons why Japanese people have favorable views about the United States while they still harbor strong Russophibic sentiments.
@@robertmccoin1166 Absolutely wrong.
@@MrEjidorie Yes, and you trust Stalin! Ha, how stupid.
Stalin had no business being part of allied since he started the war on allid side, attacking Poland along side of Germany.
Ogmios - Let us just say your understanding of history during that period leaves a lot to be desired. Certainly Stalin was no angel for sure, but the Ribbontrop pact of 1939 was never an alliance in any meaningful sense. Rather just a kind of temporary marriage of convenience . Yet, for all of that, the Soviets engaged pretty much the full force of the German forces from the 22nd June 1941. It was on the Eastern front the Germans took 80% of their losses, and left the allies to engage with a very much weakened army in France in 1944. In effect the land war was decided on the Eastern Front.
@John Sluder - Spoken like a true Nazi.
PS - You guys lost. Not only lost, but totally discredited and shown to be the liars and arseholes you are. You are now reduced to a few nutjobs screaming around while everyone else looks at you in total contempt.
Difference between tyrants and those accountable to election. Tyrants see only strength and weakness, never mercy or the value of souls. Tyrant's choice was easy. Elect's choice, not so easy. God bless Truman.
The BBC used to make great documentaries.
Before they became “woke”.
They're offering Japan that's impossible to comply. America intends to prove who's the mighty country.
Russian invasion was imminent that is why it was a show of force