The Atomic Bomb Saved American and Japanese Lives

November 8, 2003

The Smithsonian Institution recently received a petition from a group of scholars, writers and others criticizing its plans to exhibit the Enola Gay, a B-29 bomber used to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima in WWII. They feel the display must mention the number of Japanese casualties (140,000 deaths) as a way to  illustrate the consequences of the bombing.

The exhibit protesters want to turn a technological display into a political one. This also happened in 1995 with the same plane. In each case, their goal was to distort events leading to the use of the atomic bomb and portray the Japanese as victims and the United States as a vengeful bully.

Unfortunately too many people believe this nonsense and forget that the Japanese brought destruction on themselves starting on December 7, 1941.

Before using our atomic bombs, war casualties were expected to grow significantly on both sides.  The Japanese government refused to relent and were ready to call up millions of its citizens for combat duty to block a U.S. invasion.

War is certainly a bad thing because people die. For this reason, the Enola Gay display should list the estimated number of Japanese casualties and it must also list the number of American GIs and Japanese citizens NOT KILLED because atomic bombs were used to end the war quickly without an invasion.

Military planners in 1945 were faced with an enemy willing to loose at least one and a half million lives to thwart an invasion. For America, the invasion would have killed at least 500,000 GI's.

The death and destruction of an invasion would have been staggering and appalling. Incredibly, Japan was willing to let it happen.

To be fair, let's say 250,000 Japanese lives were lost in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. However, 2,000,000 lives on both sides were probably saved because an invasion was not necessary!  The atomic bombs in WWII were "worth it" and rewriting history won't change that.

Japan's senseless aggression caused the destruction and slaughter in the Pacific Theater in WWII.  The Japanese government victimized their own citizens for more power and control. This is a shameful and criminal past and it and their apologists must not project that shame onto Americans now or ever.