I have to say this defense of nuking Hiroshima and Nagasaki convinces me of exactly the opposite of what the writer claims to be arguing for. (Though it does bother me that the atomic bombs get so emphasized when the same crimes were first committed with conventional bombs).
Not only was there a time when Americans had a sanctified conscience about such war crimes, but there was a time during Wold War II when such war crimes were even repudiated in war propaganda. I refer of course to the classic “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.”
Here’s a clip. Notice the words spoken to the bombers and pilots starting at 6:55
So:
- Pilots were sternly ordered to not dump there bombs anywhere in the city except on their military targets. If they missed the targets then they didn’t get to drop their bombs in the city
- Despite the fact that only military targets were selected, this would obviously entail some civilian deaths. Since the targets had not been revealed before, all pilots and bombers are asked if anyone needs to resign from the mission as a matter of conscience.
In my opinion, a “civilian” working at a legitimate military target is a justifiable homicide. Apparently, all the crew agreed. But my point is that they asked.
Obviously, by the time this movie was released, a very different mindset had been inculcated in some number of people. General LeMay certainly never was burdened with any of the moral principles that James Doolittle is portrayed as holding in this scene.
I suspect you will see some more commentary on this issue on this website in the near future.<>
