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Today is the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima by the United States. This unprecedented act of violence killed an estimated 100,000 people. Irrefutable historical evidence proves that the bombings were militarily unnecessary and morally reprehensible.
There were at least two ways to swiftly and peacefully ensure Japanese surrender, which the US was aware of as early as July 1944. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were intended not the last acts of WWII, but rather the first acts of the Cold War.
In this thread I’ll be outlining in detail the journey to the American decision to use the bomb -- The origins of the Manhattan project, Truman’s rise to power, behind the scenes deliberations from the US and Japan, the Soviet Union’s influence, and Japan’s efforts for peace.
I cannot state in clearer terms that the use of nuclear weapons at Hiroshima and Nagasaki should never have happened, and that it is every leftist and moral beings’ duty to combat the historical revisionism that continues to excuse these atrocities.
In the midst of everything going on it is easy to forget that we are closer now than ever before to using these weapons again. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists’ “Doomsday Clock” puts us at 100 seconds to midnight, the closest we’ve been since 1953. https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/current-time/
The sanitization of Hiroshima plays directly into the second Cold War currently underway between the US, Russia, and North Korea. It enabled Obama’s $1.2 trillion dollar modernization of the US nuclear arsenal that Trump is now implementing.
The 9 nuclear states are the USA, Britain, China, Russia, India, Pakistan, France, North Korea, and Israel. There are approx. 13,000 nukes today, down from 70,000 at the peak of the Cold War. Back then, the world’s arsenal was equivalent to 1.7 million Hiroshima bombs.
This thread will be divided into sub-threads where I discuss each topic in detail. I’ll start by outlining the historiography of the bomb, and how the narrative has shifted to continue to justify the bombings, by warhawks and liberals alike, 75 years on.
This section outlines popular historical narratives about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the overall popular view of the US' role in WWII and how it was ended. From the outset, the narrative did not align with the scientific, political, or strategic facts. https://twitter.com/roun_sa_ville/status/1291456525744197632?s=20
To understand the contested nature of the bomb among American leadership, and its transition from a feared world-ending device to a necessary tool of a moral crusade, we must start at the beginning, with the Manhattan project.
The Manhattan project was first intended to be a deterrent against potential Nazi nukes. From the outset, doubt was cast about the potential danger of the bomb and the precedent it would set, outweighing any strategic advantage. https://twitter.com/roun_sa_ville/status/1291463308437082116?s=20
Before we talk about Truman it's essential to contrast him with the previous VP, Henry Wallace. One of the most radical and beloved politicians in US history, his spot as VP was stolen from him in one of the least talked about coups of the 20th century. https://twitter.com/roun_sa_ville/status/1291467457937444870?s=20
On Truman's first day in office, a reporter told him: “Good luck Mr. President!” Truman responded: “I wish you didn’t have to call me that.” Here’s a thread about Truman’s rise to power, his background and psychological profile. https://twitter.com/roun_sa_ville/status/1291471085066686466?s=20
There were two concrete channels to peaceful Japanese defeat being explored by the US and Soviets. One was the renegotiation of US surrender terms. Why did the US refuse to entertain such a compromise? If surrender was inevitable, why didn't Japan give up? https://twitter.com/roun_sa_ville/status/1291475093424689153?s=20
The role of the Soviets in influencing Japan's surrender cannot be understated. America's threats against Japan failed to sway the imperial war council, who were always primarily concerned with a Soviet invasion and takeover. https://twitter.com/roun_sa_ville/status/1291484362014367748?s=20
Mounting doubt about the bomb and opportunities for peace stood no chance against the American public’s bloodlust. The air campaign against Japan was unprecedented in its cruelty, decimating their infrastructure beyond the point of return. https://twitter.com/roun_sa_ville/status/1291487520409161730?s=20
There are scores of testimonials from high-ranking US military, scientists, and politicians advocating against the use of the bomb, long before and immediately after it was used. These accounts have been largely buried by history. https://twitter.com/roun_sa_ville/status/1291491361640914947?s=20
The beginning of the Cold War: why the US leveled Hiroshima and Nagasaki, despite all evidence both military and scientific, in the presence of peaceful and concrete alternatives, in the sight of God and all the moral men in the world. https://twitter.com/roun_sa_ville/status/1291495178251927552?s=20
