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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Solon who wrote (42205)	1/12/2002 7:49:30 PM
From: J. C. Dithers	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

Thanks for the "Bataan" link. I will definitely read that when I have a bit more time. Have you heard of (or read) "Ghost Soldiers"? This is a little known story of the U.S. Ranger force of 200 that went behind enemy lines in the Philippines to liberate a prison camp, after MacArthur's forces started re-taking the island. There was very real concern that the POWs, many hundreds at least, might be massacred before the regular units could reach them. It was a very high risk, all-volunteer operation, but in the end all the prisoners were saved. The Japanese were taken by surprise, and their casualties were severe. If you check Amazon, you will find that this new book is given very high ratings. It is a pretty exciting story. I may get back to you on some of your other points tomorrow. JC

To: Solon who wrote (42205)	1/13/2002 10:46:19 AM
From: J. C. Dithers	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

Everyone should read this Bataan POW's story of his captivity ... Thanks again for providing it. jacksonville.net It is common for people today to dismiss (yawn) these stories by saying, 'Yeah, well, there were brutalities on both sides, yadda, yadda..." Yes, brutality breeds brutality. But there is no comparison between the two sides in World War II. Vicarious cruelty toward prisoners was the exception for Allied troops, the rule for the Japanese military. And, it is how a man treats the helpless and the pitiful that determines his humanity. If you were speaking of Afghani civilians, this might apply. Japan in August, 1945 was not helpless. There were 2,500,000 regular soldiers marshaled in Japan for the final battle to the death. There were 6,000 Kamikaze aircraft, each capable of sinking a warship, supply ship, or troop ship. Fuel had been hoarded for one-way trips for these aircraft, which could have been used to assault a fleet attempting to maintain a blockade. Despite our air supremacy, we took terrible Kamikaze casualties in the Okinawa battle, and we never devised a foolproof method of preventing a suicide flier from getting to his target; some always got through our defenses. The "so-what" of political suicide is that in democratic nations, leaders reflect the will of their people. Americans, British, and Canadians were weary of the war. They had lost all sympathy for an aggressor nation (Japan) that had perpetrated so much cruelty, so many atrocities on military and civilians alike, all in the interest of expanding their empire. A poll of Americans shortly before the bombings indicated that 75% of Americans wanted Emperor Hirohito to be executed, imprisoned, or exiled. As spokesmen for America's nuclear scientists, a panel including Enrico Fermi and J. Robert Oppenheimer recommended to Truman that a demonstration of the A-bomb was impractical, and that it should be put to military use immediately. Japan knew it had the option to end the war at any time by surrendering unconditionally, as Germany had. Instead, it continued to make bellicose statements about fighting to the death unless it's own demands were met. This is not the posture of a pitiful and helpless nation. It was not Truman's responsibility to read between the lines of belligerent Japanese proclamations, to give benefit of doubt, to immerse himself in studying Japanese culture, to placate our enemy's demands, to coax and cajole an intransigent enemy which had killed hundreds of thousands of our best youth ... it was his responsibility to defeat our enemy, end the war quickly, save any more American lives, and to bring our soldiers home. That is what he did. That is why he is held in high esteem among our nation's presidents.