I know everybody and their momma to this day always mentions about what they would have done that it was so horrible dropping the bomb on japan. But what would you have done? I would have changed nothing, I still would have dropped the atomic bomb.

Boring answer:

If I was tasked with dropping the bomb on Japan, it would mean I was a part of a top-secret mission and was specifically chosen for showing loyalty to the military and not questioning orders. It would also mean I don't know the nature of the bomb I am dropping.

Which is to say I would drop it because I am an outstanding soldier, and outstanding soldiers are thoroughly conditioned to NOT question orders.

Whether that is a good or a bad thing is a different question.

On a side note, dropping the atomic bomb wasn't even http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internment_of_Japanese_Americans during WWII.

Yup. I would've kept dropping them.

Yes, overpopulation is scary.

I expected people to say "No it was a horrible weapon!" lol

Give the order, or fly the plane?

Either way, I would do it anyways. My logic?

Someone was going to discover nuclear weapons eventually. By the US doing what it did, it instilled a fear of the weapons before every country began developing them for themselves. It was also a major part of what kept the Soviet Union in check (US had a head start on a super weapon). Not only that, but I'd argue more would have died on both sides if the war on Japan hadn't been brought to a close when it did.

On a personal note: I have almost no ability to sympathize with warring nations. All is fair in love and war. And the Japanese were monsters, almost worse than the nazies. They killed and experimented more on the chinese than the nazies did to the jews. They also had Unit 731...

unit 731?

Think Auschwitz on drugs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731

The Japanese during World War II were absolutely monstrous, nobody denies that. But (Falling back on my usual line) It's an incredibly complicated situation that, seventy years later, it's easy to sit back and go "I would've done this". Things might be different if I was actually in the hotseat. Based on what I know now, I would've probably have used it. The war was absolutely brutal up until that point, with the Pacific easily being the most brutal front, which is saying something. The Japanese were not about to give any ground easily in their archipelago. So many more American soldiers would've died taking those islands that the casualty numbers from the bomb would've been nothing in comparison. And if I was the one to give the order, I'd be the American president, so preserving American lives would've been my primary concern. To be honest, and it sounds harsh and it is, but Japanese civilians are the concern of the Japanese government. If preserving their lives and wellbeing was of utmost importance, they would have surrendered when it was clear they were beaten in the Pacific.

That said, the bomb is the most terrifying weapon we've ever seen used. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were tragedies, all the more so because they were civilian targets. I still get a bit emotional thinking about that. But no, I don't think I would've done anything differently.

well that was horrible.

Yes, I would have dropped them. The bombs did cause lots of casualties but there might have been much much more casualties if they had not been dropped. The bombs ended the war, without them the war would have lasted far longer and the casualties would be piling up.

It's necessary to see the big picture behind the details.

Do you mean if I was Tibbets or if I was Truman? The answer is yes in both cases, although the reasons are different.

Which is funny, because everyone I know around my age makes it sound like the japanese were going to surrender. They make it sound like it wasn't deserved, but my logic? America at the time was still remembering what happened with pearl habour and to me, if you don't want someone to hit you even harder, you don't strike them first. And war, war isn't peaceful, it isn't honest and it lies, it betrays. It isn't supposed to be a good thing.

The Japanese were also pretty insane (pretty crazy today too ) and would have fought to the last man on their island. Fortunately they bought into our lie about more bombs and surrendered.

There was a recent article that talked about a city that was the original target for the Fatman, but they had to skip it because the citizens burned tons of tar and created a massive cloud over the area. So the B29 flew to Nagasaki next.

It was believed that the japanese, including civilians, would have fought to the last if USA had landed on Japan's main islands. It was terrible thing done with terrible weapons, but ultimately may have saved more lives than it killed. And seeing what happened to Japan after WW2, maybe it was ultimately good for them too.

I'm just glad i didn't have to make that decision or drop those bombs.