At last we have what I consider to be the definitive word as to why America should have dropped two atomic bombs on Japan and what alternatives existed if we had not. {Full Disclosure: This reviewer was alive when it happened, heard about the events live on the radio, and had a father in the marines in the Pacific theater at the time of the bombings - he came home in 1946 safely and uninjured physically.}
In meticulous and clear prose, Tom Lewis details the actions and preparations leading up to the two bombings. Nothing was certain. All were operating in unknown territory. Just before the first test to see if the detonation of an atomic device was a viable prospect, Enrico Fermi was jokingly taking bets as to whether or not the atmosphere would catch on fire. When the creation of a Hydrogen bomb was being considered there was some concern that the oceans might explode due to the presence of abundant hydrogen. All fears were repeatedly rebutted over the years and now we have a world replete with thermonuclear weaponry. As for Japan, it is absolutely essential to point out some key factors that have been overlooked when it comes to debates over whether or not the atomic bombs should have been dropped on Japan.
1) An invasion of Japan, an empire comprised of multiple islands still possessing a powerful functioning army and a population prepared to fight down to the last man, woman, and child, would have made the Normandy landing seem like a stroll on the beach. And, in truth, Japan did not surrender immediately after the atomic assault on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Indeed, a number of upper echelon political and military figures wanted to continue the war. In minute detail Lewis presents statistics for potential casualties on both sides, and even the sub-title for this book - "HOW THE A-BOMB ATTACKS SAVED THE LIVES OF 32 MILLION PEOPLE" -says it all.
2) Going back in time to the 13th century one can read of the twice failed attempts on the part of Kublai Khan, ruler of the mighty Mongol Empire, to conquer Japan. Even the weather and attendant storms were against him. The Qing Dynasty - last dynasty of Imperial China - failed to prevail against the Japanese forces near the end of the 19th century. Even the Russian Empire was defeated by the Japanese in the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905 which ultimately led to the downfall of the Tsar and the Romanov Dynasty. The East Asiatic possessions of the British Empire along with America's own were swept away by the initial conquests of the Empire of Japan. Only ONE nation which fought a truly full two-front war during WWII was capable of defeating the Japanese Empire - the United States of America! But at what cost? The French were beaten and evicted from East Asia, Britain and its Empire were decimated, and the Soviet Union even with tens of millions of deaths and casualties was only fighting Germany since it had signed a Neutrality Pact with Japan back in April of 1941.
Revisionists and Apologists overlook the total burden placed on the US at the time. Consolidation and control in Central and Eastern Europe, after the recent previous defeat of Nazi Germany, still required much man power, attention, and resources. How much was left in the tank so to speak to launch a full LAND assault on Japan? In his book, Lewis lays out in chapter after chapter the consequences of a drawn out war with Japan. Some chapter titles highlight the problem: "Was Japan going to fight on? How much longer could Japan have fought? How would the war have continued if the A-bombs had not been used? The Russian option, Allied and Japanese casualties, Actual and Possible Deaths of POWs [Japan never signed the Geneva convention], Revenge as a motivator."
3) The last deserves special attention. You hear nothing from Apologists about the Bataan Death March, Okinawa, the Rape or Massacre of Nanking (Nanjing) whose fatality numbers are often denied by Japanese Revisionists, and finally Pearl Harbor. Where are the Apologists for it? In effect, Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima-Nagasaki stand as two "book ends" with regard to WWII. What began with the former was basically terminated with the latter. And there you have it. Apologists and Revisionists need not reply. You weren't there. You most likely weren't even alive then. While "hindsight" may be 20/20 vision, don't overlook the "fog of war".
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