Bomb Day

Look Back in Despair
About the only thing that seems to come of the commemoration of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima is this sense that we lucked out in not blowing ourselves up during the Cold War. The impact of the two nuclear bombs was so hideous that it essentially helped stop war in Europe until the recent wars of the Yugoslavian disintegration.

The usual hoary argument that gets trotted out is that the bombs saved lives - Allied soldier lives because the bombs allegedly brought the Japanese decision maker to the peace table. The reality was the Generals were arguing furiously in for of a scorched-earth fight with the allies on the homeland and the Admirals were pointing out that they would be doing it without air-cover. By the time the bomb was announced, they were trying to figure out how to get the surrender message to the Allies.

Now, the Allies were not to know that, but it is incorrect (as in mistaken; as in wrong) to assert the bomb brought about the end of World War II. What it did do was to bring in the Cold War which really did end the process begun in the Napoleonic Wars. It's small comfort for the people of Hiroshima, then or now.
200,000 up in a flash - collateral damage.