This is the 75th Anniversary of the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan. On Aug 6, 1945, a bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. On Aug 8, 1945, another was dropped on Nagasaki. An estimated 200,000 people died. During the three-month battle of Okinawa (one battle!) 250,000 Japanese and 50,000 Americans died. "In the terrible arithmetic of World War II, the idea that such a nightmare might end in a day or two was seen as saving millions of lives. It was in that bleak context that Harry Truman dropped the two bombs--opting for a terrible choice among even worse alternatives. |