Which presidents, or candidates could/would have nuked Japan?

[Retread Ol' 37]

I'm pretty sure the military would have revolted and thrown Palin out in a Coup d'état after they determined how incompetent she was. As for the others, it's hard to say. I don't see however how you can fit Reagan, Ike and Bush Sr. in one poll choice since they are not nearly of the same philosophy and temperament.

That said, I can't help but think G.W. Bush would have carpet-nuked the entire island. And authorized waterboarding the survivors.

 

[thereisnospoon]

The danger in that thinking is allowing your enemies to know you would not use nuclear weapons for any purpose.
This explains the belligerence of countries such as North Korea, Iran and other rogue states.
Even Putin over there in Russia is flipping us the bird.
There is no way on God's Green Earth Russia will honor the agreement.
Russia is fast becoming the Cold War adversary it once was. Putin is ex(HA!!) KGB. He and people like him, former Communists HATE the United States. These people also believe that a nuclear war is "winnable". That very thought convinces me that the Russian government CANNOT be trusted as far as one can throw the Kremlin.

 

[thereisnospoon]

Of course, Japan was negotiating with the USSR instead of the US, in the months before Hiroshima. Truman had the specter of Japan surrendering to the Soviets instead of us. He also knew that the Soviets were about to declare war on Japan, thus giving them divvy rights.

Had Truman merely demonstrated the bomb offshore, let's say, instead of using it on Hiroshima, the USSR would have had the time to get their war declaration and invade, and we would have had not only a divided Vietnam and a divided Korea, we would have had a divided Japan as well.

Casualties? We killed three times as many people with our conventional firebombings of Japan than we did with the two nukes. No one seems to remember that.

I don't second-guess Truman on this, just for those who might have misunderstood my earlier statement.

At the time the decision to use nukes vs Japan was being debated, many credible sources had estimated over one million soldiers and civilians may have perished had the US established a war theatre in Japan.

 

[kyzr]

I'm pretty sure the military would have revolted and thrown Palin out in a Coup d'état after they determined how incompetent she was. As for the others, it's hard to say. I don't see however how you can fit Reagan, Ike and Bush Sr. in one poll choice since they are not nearly of the same philosophy and temperament.

That said, I can't help but think G.W. Bush would have carpet-nuked the entire island. And authorized waterboarding the survivors.

Reagan, Ike and GHW Bush were all in WW2, although to very different rolls, yet I think they would all have followed the advice of their military advisers.
As for Palin being overthrown, I think you're watching way too much SNL. She's happy clubbin...halibut and making tons of money. Good fer her, after the 0-18 ethics fiasco that drove her out of office. I hope she cheer-leads the GOP to victory in 2012.

 

[whitehall]

If you look at the situation without political blinders or the non-stop Truman propaganda for the last 65 years you might understand that Harry Truman was the worst case scenario come to life. An ignorant political hack with about 4 months of governing experience, if that, became the commander in chief at a time of crisis. His handling of the Korean Conflict a couple of years later was so inept that he couldn't even get his own party's nomination for a 2nd full term.

 

[mdn2000]

If you look at the situation without political blinders or the non-stop Truman propaganda for the last 65 years you might understand that Harry Truman was the worst case scenario come to life. An ignorant political hack with about 4 months of governing experience, if that, became the commander in chief at a time of crisis. His handling of the Korean Conflict a couple of years later was so inept that he couldn't even get his own party's nomination for a 2nd full term.

Luckily than the bomb was developed outside of Truman's knowledge and sprung on Truman at the last minute. Got to give Truman credit for ending the war in the Pacific, even the Japanese pat Truman on the back.

 

[whitehall]

Truman would of gotten credit for ending the war no matter what decisions he made. That's the way the media worked back then even when it wasn't part of the government. The US's attitude toward Japan was unapologeticaly racist for the 1st half of the 20th century and the eggheads who developed the "bomb" were dying to use it on humans other than the unfortunate Soldiers who were forced to witness some of the tests. What a better way to test the thing than on the little war monger Nips? What was the hurry? Japan's navy and land forces were defeated and it's air force was non-existant. We were bombing Japan 24/7. It would have taken more political courage to try to negotiate with Japan but Truman was just a blustery coward who couldn't stand up to MacArthur a few years later much less the entire military. The poor American POW's who were nuked were just collateral damage.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Truman would of gotten credit for ending the war no matter what decisions he made. That's the way the media worked back then even when it wasn't part of the government. The US's attitude toward Japan was unapologeticaly racist for the 1st half of the 20th century and the eggheads who developed the "bomb" were dying to use it on humans other than the unfortunate Soldiers who were forced to witness some of the tests. What a better way to test the thing than on the little war monger Nips? What was the hurry? Japan's navy and land forces were defeated and it's air force was non-existant. We were bombing Japan 24/7. It would have taken more political courage to try to negotiate with Japan but Truman was just a blustery coward who couldn't stand up to MacArthur a few years later much less the entire military. The poor American POW's who were nuked were just collateral damage.

I provided source materials you fucking brain dead dumb ass. EVEN after 2 nukes the Government of Japan had no intention of surrender. Their proposal was to just end the war and everyone got back what hey had before the war started. No foreign troops on Japanese soil and no punishment at all for Japanese atrocities.

Even after the LIVING GOD that was their Emperor ORDERED them to surrender they STAGED a Coup and tried to stop the surrender.

People like you are to STUPID to allow to breed.

 

[mdn2000]

Truman would of gotten credit for ending the war no matter what decisions he made. That's the way the media worked back then even when it wasn't part of the government. The US's attitude toward Japan was unapologeticaly racist for the 1st half of the 20th century and the eggheads who developed the "bomb" were dying to use it on humans other than the unfortunate Soldiers who were forced to witness some of the tests. What a better way to test the thing than on the little war monger Nips? What was the hurry? Japan's navy and land forces were defeated and it's air force was non-existant. We were bombing Japan 24/7. It would have taken more political courage to try to negotiate with Japan but Truman was just a blustery coward who couldn't stand up to MacArthur a few years later much less the entire military. The poor American POW's who were nuked were just collateral damage.

Great you can repeat Zinn and Chomsky.

Truman dropped the bomb as anyone, Truman was advised on every aspect thus made the most informed decision, Truman dropped the bomb on a nation arguably more cruel than Nazi-Germany. I cannot imagine to watch my pregnant wife bayoneted through the womb by a Japanese horror only to suffer watching my ten year old daughter raped and murdered one by one. But that was the Japanese, the modern day Samurai.

Its a shame a punk such as yourself will never face the brutal Japanese Samurai warrior of the Second World War.

Still, the USA did save the Marxist, the USA came to Stalin's rescue, there is not one point of the war Stalin could of won without us. Even this supposed push that the Communist were about to make but never did until after the Bomb was dropped on Japan, even that push required the United States to supply the Communist.

Stalin was weak, Stalin would of fallen without Capitalism. Marxism begged Capitalism, no Capitalism and Communism would of lost to Nazi Germany.

Howard Zinn is reading for losers.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Talk about loaded questions lacking historic perspective? Harry Truman was arguibly a rube senator from Missouri and the only president lacking a college education. He was hand picked by the democrat party to run as VP on FDR's 4th (and last) term while Wallace was on vacation. He admitted that he woke up one day in April without a clue. God help us if we are ever in that kind of situation again.

God did intervene, in my opinion. Wallace was a lefty, and Truman would not take guff from them or the segregationist senators of his own party. Any careful study makes the points clearly that (1) the Japanese were trying to get a negotiated peace that would leave them in control of the islands and the nation's internal affairs, (2) even after two bombs, the Emperor forcing through the surrender was a near run thing, and (3) the opportunity for successful invasion of the islands was dropping in hopes of success while the casualty estimates were climbing.

The bombs were the right decisions, and the USA was fortunate the whitehalls of the universe were not the POTUS.

 

[whitehall]

First of all (gunny) your alleged rank don't mean diddly on this forum. Keep calling people stupid and someone is going to put a size 11 up your kazoo.

 

[JakeStarkey]

whitehall, you are stupid.

whitehall, you know nothing.

whitehall, you can't think rationally.

whitehall, I am laughing at you.

 

[whitehall]

Jake: You should go into stand-up comedy.

 

[JakeStarkey]

whitehall, ok, you are talking rationally again. Of course Truman dropped the bombs. If you had been in his place, I believe you would have made the choice.

 

[whitehall]

OK let's go down the list. With the exception of Hillary about everyone on the list was better qualified to make the enormous decision to use nuclear weapons just because they had served in a governing capacity whether it was a state governor or president. Harry Truman was a clothing store owner and political hack who got a political payoff of running for senate.. Anyone could have been elected to the senate at that time on the democrat ticket. As a senator Truman's career consisted of pinching pennies on senate commissions. It could be said that he was at least partially responsible for the poor condition of the US Military prior to WW2. He woke up one moring in April 1945 and found himself president without a clue. The US could have saved 80,000 wounded and 15,000 captured and 20,000 killed between Dec and Jan 1945 if they nuked Berlin and convinced the Germans to surrender. The Bomb was never considered in Europe because Germans looked like us.

 

[JakeStarkey]

whitehall knows very little about Truman's career and experience, and he gets what he does not very well.

So let's catch you up: "Active in the Democratic Party, Truman was elected a judge of the Jackson County Court (an administrative position) in 1922. He became a Senator in 1934. During World War II he headed the Senate war investigating committee, checking into waste and corruption and saving perhaps as much as 15 billion dollars. /// As President, Truman made some of the most crucial decisions in history. Soon after V-E Day, the war against Japan had reached its final stage. An urgent plea to Japan to surrender was rejected. Truman, after consultations with his advisers, ordered atomic bombs dropped on cities devoted to war work. Two were Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japanese surrender quickly followed." Harry S. Truman | The White House

23 years of political life, 11 of those as a U.S. senator, and are any of us giving any credence to Whitehall's mutterings in the corner. Nuff said.

 

[whitehall]

whitehall knows very little about Truman's career and experience, and he gets what he does not very well.

So let's catch you up: "Active in the Democratic Party, Truman was elected a judge of the Jackson County Court (an administrative position) in 1922. He became a Senator in 1934. During World War II he headed the Senate war investigating committee, checking into waste and corruption and saving perhaps as much as 15 billion dollars. /// As President, Truman made some of the most crucial decisions in history. Soon after V-E Day, the war against Japan had reached its final stage. An urgent plea to Japan to surrender was rejected. Truman, after consultations with his advisers, ordered atomic bombs dropped on cities devoted to war work. Two were Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japanese surrender quickly followed." Harry S. Truman | The White House

23 years of political life, 11 of those as a U.S. senator, and are any of us giving any credence to Whitehall's mutterings in the corner. Nuff said.

A judge without a legal degree who's claim to fame was that he didn't file for bankruptcy when his clothing business failed. A senator who headed a War "investigating committee" while we were trying to fight a war and did nothing when his family farm was foreclosed and his mother and sister were forced off the property. A vice President who had about 4 months in office when he became "commander in chief". Tell me again how that qualified him to make a decision about the use of nuclear weapons? Sarah Palin has ten times more experience than the little bean counting senator ever thought about. Now we get into the propaganda. The US made an "urgent plea" for Japan to surrender unconditionally but the US refused to negotiate while Japan was trying to get Stalin to intervine. The Bushido radicals were holed up in a bunker in Tokyo while almost every form of communication in the country had been blasted away and Truman ordered a Nuclear strike on civilians to teach them a lession. When the devistated country didn't respond in time "give 'em hell Harry" ordered another city incinerated. How long would he have kept it up? Until we ran out of bombs?

 

[USArmyRetired]

OK let's go down the list. With the exception of Hillary about everyone on the list was better qualified to make the enormous decision to use nuclear weapons just because they had served in a governing capacity whether it was a state governor or president. Harry Truman was a clothing store owner and political hack who got a political payoff of running for senate.. Anyone could have been elected to the senate at that time on the democrat ticket. As a senator Truman's career consisted of pinching pennies on senate commissions. It could be said that he was at least partially responsible for the poor condition of the US Military prior to WW2. He woke up one moring in April 1945 and found himself president without a clue. The US could have saved 80,000 wounded and 15,000 captured and 20,000 killed between Dec and Jan 1945 if they nuked Berlin and convinced the Germans to surrender. The Bomb was never considered in Europe because Germans looked like us.

Where do you get the notion that we could have saved that figure if we had nuked Berlin?

 

[JakeStarkey]

whitehall is now making the inference that its sole use was racially motivated. That is what he does: makes mumbles and pretends if he has said something relevant. He hasn't.

George Washington and Andrew Jackson did not go to college.

Anyone who is Republican can be elected senator from Utah.

Absolutely no logic or evidence give for Truman "being responsible for the poor condition of the U.S. Military prior to WW2."

Your comments about American casualties in the months closing 1944 and opening 1945 remind of the cost of freedom. However, whitehall, America did not explode its first atomic bomb until two months after the Germans surrendered.