Michael Gilson
2008-08-12 09:09:39
I have a BA in Japanese language and literature, and not surprisingly am a nihonphile. None the less any honest comparison of the societys at the time can only come to one conclusion: The only moral choice at the time was Allied victory, as quickly as possible!
As for whether the atomic bomb was decisive, or the Soviet conquest of Manchuria, or whether any of a myriad of other actions the Allies could have taken instead would have gotten the Japanese to surrender at lower cost all I can say is the Japanese are human beings, not chickens in a Skinner box! With free willed human beings big, noisy and obvious works a lot better than subtle.
