America the bad? Never say it....
Typical of American administrators to not want to put a frowny face on American behavior and the consequences of war. Despite the fact that America broadcasted messages to Japanese telling them to leave five cities (of which we would bomb two), we were the first to target civilian areas in an act of war. Even Pearl Harbor was a military target... Personally, I'd be very interested in reading these stories. Censored Japan A-bomb stories published
2 comments:
No, we weren't the first to target civilians, but we did it best. Japan bombed and destroyed entire Chinese cities during the campaign in China early in WWII, then raped every female and killed every living soul in entire villages during the Rape of Nanking.
We firebombed Tokyo and several other cities months before we dropped the nukes. The firebombing killed far more Japanese citizens than the nukes ever did. Nearly 100,000 died in 2 nights in Tokyo alone in late 1944. Those campaigns just didn't involve the nuclear boogyman, so they don't get as much play in history class.
Yes, the nuking of Japan was horrible, just as the bombing of any city is horrible, and yes, the US is the only county ever to use nukes against another country. Big deal.
We are also the single largest peddler of democracy, freedom, and social justice in the world, and the single largest grantor of monetary assistance to nations the world over. We have done far more good in this world than ever did we bad. I just wish people would mention the good things the US does and has done whenever they feel the need to take the US to task for our failings.
Hmmm...that's interesting. I got the "we were the first to target civilians" from a historian. I'll have to go back and ask her about what you've said. Since she is a historian, I never questioned her comments!
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