Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site dciem.UUCP Path: utzoo!dciem!mmt From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor) Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: addendum to my flame Message-ID: <689@dciem.UUCP> Date: Wed, 8-Feb-84 18:36:09 EST Article-I.D.: dciem.689 Posted: Wed Feb 8 18:36:09 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 9-Feb-84 19:52:36 EST References: <534@akgua.UUCP> Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada Lines: 22 =================== In round numbers approximately 1 million casualties would have resulted from the necessary invasion of the main islands of Japan. In case you don't remember, the Japanese soldiers were dedicated, fierce men of war who would fight to the last man defending the OUTLYING parts of their island empire ( i.e. Okinawa etc. ). Can you imagine their ferocity in defending the home islands? Bob Brown {...pur-ee!inuxc!ihnp4!clyde!akgua!rjb} =================== According to the history I read, this notion of 1 million American deaths to invade Japan was an unreal fear. The Japanese had tried to sue for peace before the Hiroshima bomb, but the Russians had not passed on the message (Russia was neutral at that time). Instead, the Russians noted that the Japanese recognized themselves to be defeated, and declared war so as to get a share of the spoils. There was no need for either bomb to have been dropped, although it is unlikely that Truman knew it at the time. -- Martin Taylor {allegra,linus,ihnp4,uw-beaver,floyd,ubc-vision}!utzoo!dciem!mmt