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John Kerry Makes Historic Visit To Hiroshima Memorial

TheDemSocialist

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HIROSHIMA, Japan, April 11 (Reuters) - John Kerry on Monday became the first U.S. secretary of state to pay his respects at Hiroshima’s memorial to victims of the 1945 U.S. nuclear attack, raising speculation that U.S. President Barack Obama might make his own visit in May.
Following the visit by Kerry and his counterparts from the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies, the ministers issued a statement reaffirming their commitment to building a world without nuclear arms, but said the push had been made more complex by North Korea’s repeated provocations and by the worsening security in Syria and Ukraine.

Kerry toured the Hiroshima Peace Memorial and Museum, whose haunting displays include photographs of badly burned victims, the tattered and stained clothes they wore and statues depicting them with flesh melting from their limbs.


While he is not the highest-ranking U.S. official to have toured the museum and memorial park, a distinction that belongs to then-U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi in 2008, Kerry is the most senior executive branch official to visit.


Read more @: John Kerry Makes Historic Visit To Hiroshima Memorial

I will always contend that we should of never dropped these weapons on Japan, but this is none-the-less a historic and symbolic gesture from the US government.
 
Read more @: John Kerry Makes Historic Visit To Hiroshima Memorial

I will always contend that we should of never dropped these weapons on Japan, but this is none-the-less a historic and symbolic gesture from the US government. [/FONT]

Why are these visits considered of special interest?

It always amuses me when I hear the term "historical" appended to any particular action...when literally everything done is a matter of history.

Just because we like to think particular actions have some special significance, calling them all "historical" is simply fluffing. :shrug:
 
Read more @: John Kerry Makes Historic Visit To Hiroshima Memorial

I will always contend that we should of never dropped these weapons on Japan, but this is none-the-less a historic and symbolic gesture from the US government. [/FONT]

Regardless of the debate on use of these weapons or going with the Operation Downfall plan (which has been debated ad nauseam) we cannot go back and undo anything.

I can appreciate Kerry going to the memorial but would not call it "historic." It was a reasonable gesture though on our part, if anything showing how far we have come in trade and relations since the time frame of being such determined enemies. Probably much more to do and it will take time given what really happened between our two nations over all of WWII (and before.)
 
Read more @: John Kerry Makes Historic Visit To Hiroshima Memorial

I will always contend that we should of never dropped these weapons on Japan, but this is none-the-less a historic and symbolic gesture from the US government. [/FONT]

Operation Downfall would have been a massive bloodbath, especially for the Japanese.

Arguably by dropping the nukes we actually saved quite a few lives.

Interesting that Kerry would visit, but probably not a huge deal.
 
Regardless of the debate on use of these weapons or going with the Operation Downfall plan (which has been debated ad nauseam) we cannot go back and undo anything.

I can appreciate Kerry going to the memorial but would not call it "historic." It was a reasonable gesture though on our part, if anything showing how far we have come in trade and relations since the time frame of being such determined enemies. Probably much more to do and it will take time given what really happened between our two nations over all of WWII (and before.)

I would say, in terms of atrocity and the sheer brutality of the Pacific Campaign (vastly committed by the Japanese I might add), it is incredible how far both nations have come and this kind of thing is just a small gesture that has at least some weight that is welcomed.

By the way, the Hiroshima Memorial Peace Park is a beautiful place, amazing museum that actually really doesn't take sides, just more explains the effects of the bombing in detail as a warning to future generations.

If you can ever get there, well worth a look.
 
I have no problem with the visit, or any future visit by an American President, so long as we never apologize.

This is the point that caught my attention. he didn't apologize. I was surprised given the current administrations propensity for doing so.
I am sure there have been apologies in the past by some people. And of course massive aid and assistance.
And honestly Japan has never formally apologized for Pearl Harbor to my knowledge.
Lets just move on instead.
 
At least Lurch didn't embarrass himself by apologizing for it.
 
Operation Downfall would have been a massive bloodbath, especially for the Japanese.

Arguably by dropping the nukes we actually saved quite a few lives.

Interesting that Kerry would visit, but probably not a huge deal.

arguably is right, since they actually surrendered due to the much larger impending soviet invasion. The bombs only gave the emperor an excuse to negotiate with the americans more favorable terms for his own family's security. Part of this deal was pretending the bombs left them with no choice
 
arguably is right, since they actually surrendered due to the much larger impending soviet invasion. The bombs only gave the emperor an excuse to negotiate with the americans more favorable terms for his own family's security. Part of this deal was pretending the bombs left them with no choice

The Soviets had nothing to invade with. The Red Navy's Pacific Fleet's biggest warship was a cruiser. They might have gotten Honshu and definitely, but that's about it.

The guys who wanted to fight on even after being nuked twice sure as **** weren't going to surrender to communists.

You can build all the tanks you want, but tanks can't swim very far or fly.
 
The Soviets had nothing to invade with. The Red Navy's Pacific Fleet's biggest warship was a cruiser. They might have gotten Honshu and definitely, but that's about it.

The guys who wanted to fight on even after being nuked twice sure as **** weren't going to surrender to communists.

You can build all the tanks you want, but tanks can't swim very far or fly.

Along just one front, they had 3700 aircraft, 80 subs and numerous other naval support. Could ally tanks have swum across to normandy? No, it's the same concept. They had 1.5 million ground troops which is far beyond the ability of japan to defend. Again this was just their northern front

They conquered manchuria in short order, in fact in between the two atomic bombs. The soviets then landed and captured the kuril islands attached to japan's main land, which remain in their control. Only then did japan surrender, a full month after the bombs

Stalin was never impressed by the bombs, which did very little damage to japan militarily. It did not impress much of japan's own high command either, as they attempted a coup on the emperor to prevent a surrender
 
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Along just one front, they had 3700 aircraft, 80 subs and numerous other naval support. Could ally tanks have swum across to normandy? No, it's the same concept. They had 1.5 million ground troops which is far beyond the ability of japan to defend. Again this was just their northern front

They conquered manchuria in short order, in fact in between the two atomic bombs. The soviets then landed and captured the kuril islands attached to japan's main land, which remain in their control. Only then did japan surrender, a full month after the bombs

Stalin was never impressed by the bombs, which did very little damage to japan militarily. It did not impress much of japan's own high command either, as they attempted a coup on the emperor to prevent a surrender

*Hokkaido, not Honshu.

The Soviets had no way to transport all those men, troops, and tanks over the ocean into Japan. Do you have any idea how huge the Operation Overlord fleet was? The Soviets had maybe a sixteenth of the ships which would have been necessary to transport a force that big over to the Japanese mainland AND keep it supplied.

They conquered Manchuria so quickly because the Japanese forces in Manchuria were either 12 or 60 or had lost a limb. Not to mention they had no anti-tank weaponry or tanks to speak of. This wasn't the Wehrmacht.

The Kurile Islands were a small island chain which didn't have many men of material on them either.

And Stalin was never impressed by anything which didn't personally threaten Stalin, but he still ordered his spies to replicate the bomb as quickly as possible.

So your claim is that the same people who'd rather face the destruction of yet more cities by atomic bombs than surrender would meekly give up the second a Russian somehow miraculously made it over to the Home Islands?
 
Japan had two choices. First, they chose to start WWII with the US, as they attacked unannounced and lost face.

Then, they after being warned Japan chose to accept the dropping of two atomic bombs on their nation.

No additional allied soldier or naval personnel needed to die in an invasion of Japan just so some people can cry over the US dropping an atom bomb.

Nuking Japan saved allied, and probably Japanese lives.

War over...
 
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I will always contend that we should of never dropped these weapons on Japan, but this is none-the-less a historic and symbolic gesture from the US government.

I agree, but we also shouldn't crawl up their rear.
 
Read more @: John Kerry Makes Historic Visit To Hiroshima Memorial

I will always contend that we should of never dropped these weapons on Japan, but this is none-the-less a historic and symbolic gesture from the US government. [/FONT]

Of-course you think forcing Japan to surrender and saving Americans lives was the wrong thing to do....

Truman had no choice. He had the tools necessary to end the war and he used them

Had he decided not to drop the Bombs, every sevicemans death from that time on would be on his head.

Japan was wasn't innocent and our fire bombing of Germany and Tokyo killed more civilians than those two bombs.
 
Read more @: John Kerry Makes Historic Visit To Hiroshima Memorial

I will always contend that we should of never dropped these weapons on Japan, but this is none-the-less a historic and symbolic gesture from the US government. [/FONT]

I don't contend either way. I'm just damn glad I was not in Eisenhower's position.



Murder hundreds of thousands of civilians (instantly and more over time) vs. Give orders leading to the death of several million US & Japanese servicemen, and likely a TON of civilians anyway?

If there's a hell, you're burning either way if you have to make that choice.




(Of course, we caused a similar death toll when we fire-bombed Dresden; a war crime if there ever was one).
 
Of-course you think forcing Japan to surrender saving Americans lives was the wrong thing to do....

One would have to recognize that Americans aren't the only real human beings on Earth to understand that it isn't as simple as that.
 
Μολὼν λαβέ;1065761222 said:
Japan had two choices. First, they chose to start WWII with the US, as they attacked unannounced and lost face.

Then, they after being warned Japan chose to accept the dropping of two atomic bombs on their nation.

No additional allied soldier or naval personnel needed to die in an invasion of Japan just so some people can cry over the US dropping an atom bomb.

Nuking Japan saved allied, and probably Japanese lives.

War over...

These people who oppose Truman's decision should put themselves in his place.

Had he decided not to use those weapons and thousands of US Soldiers died during a invasion those lives would be on his head
 
One would have to recognize that Americans aren't the only real human beings on Earth to understand that it isn't as simple as that.

Sure it is. Or maybe you can explain what was so complicated about Truman's decision

Had Truman hid the technology and invaded first at the cost of thousands of US lives, and then used it at a later date the American people would have wanted his head on a pike.

Especially if they learned we had the tools to end the war all along.

The choice was simple, end the war, save American lives.

We dropped incendiary munitions on population centers in Germany and Japan. Do you have a problem with that too ?
 
These people who oppose Truman's decision should put themselves in his place.

Had he decided not to use those weapons and thousands of US Soldiers died during a invasion those lives would be on his head

What about bombing a military target instead?
 
Or maybe you can explain what was so complicated about Truman's decision

I already did. You cut down my posts when replying and responded to the one sentence where I wasn't explaining it.


Truman's decision only seems simple if (1) you only see things in either black or white, and (2) you think Americans are the only real human beings on Earth.

If you don't agree with either, or both, then it is a very bitter decision with no clear right answer
 
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