New Member Tournament: The Atomic Bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not justified.

R1)While it is true that the nuclear bombs caused many casualties amongst the Japanese civilian population, the only other option for bombing (known as fire bombing) was far worse. Over the course of the war, this conventional bombing caused over 500,000 Japanese casualties and left another 5 million homeless [1]. It is quite clear that the nuclear bombs caused less overall casualties than the alternative. R2)Using the same source as my opponent (and reading the quote in its entirety) you will see that it is stated that Hiroshima was chosen because it was "an important army depot and port of embarkation in the middle of an urban industrial area[2]. " The United States choose this city because it was important to the Japanese war effort (as it had the industry to fuel their war machine) and because it couldn't be effectively fire bombed due to it's proximity to a river[2]. The goal of the bombings was to end the war as quickly as possible by installing fear into a stubborn Japanese people. Soldiers die all the time, and even the loss of a few thousand (from a military base) would not affect the Japanese people the same as being attacked directly, in their own back yards. Choosing a purely military target would not have the same psychological effect that the US desired to attain. Think of the way Americans reacted to 9/11, and maybe you'll have a small understanding of the way the Japanese people must have felt. This fear is what eventually led to a surrender and the future peace and prosperity of both countries. R3)The dropping of the atomic bombs was not a political demonstration, but a necessary act to spare millions of lives, both American and Japanese[3]. The second bomb was delayed 3 days, which was plenty of time for Japan to enter into peace agreements. There is still speculation on whether or not Truman ordered the second bombing [4], but the fact remains that Japan had time to surrender. It also seems that United States had a third bomb in waiting that they didn't use to "demonstrate their power. "R4)Once again, my opponent is straw picking his arguments. Although the treaty did call for Allied occupation of Japan, it also made the following declarations: "We do not intend that the Japanese shall be enslaved as a race or destroyed as a nation, . .. The Japanese Government shall remove all obstacles to the revival and strengthening of democratic tendencies among the Japanese people. Freedom of speech, of religion, and of thought, as well as respect for the fundamental human rights shall be established. " "Japan shall be permitted to maintain such industries as will sustain her economy and permit the exaction of just reparations in kind, . .. Japanese participation in world trade relations shall be permitted. " "The occupying forces of the Allies shall be withdrawn from Japan as soon as these objectives have been accomplished and there has been established, in accordance with the freely expressed will of the Japanese people, a peacefully inclined and responsible government. "[5] Considering the fact that Japan was fighting a war with no hope of victory that they themselves instigated, this deal was more than generous. Truman warned of "prompt and utter destruction" because that was what would happen if Japan did not surrender. He told them what the consequences were, in the hopes that they would surrender, but to no avail. I will now go into my own contentions (that were not sufficiently stated in my rebuttals). C1) The Atomic Bombs Saved LivesSeems a bit contradictory, but the fact of the matter is that the atomic bombs got Japan to surrender when nothing but complete and utter defeat (through a land invasion) would have sufficed previously[6]. Atomic bombs saved time, money, and lives of all those involved in the war effort. C2) Civilians Were Not InnocentJapanese civilians were described as being "fantastically hostile"[6] towards the United States. While it is understandable that they wouldn't be fond of their war enemies, the Japanese brought this to the extreme. In the Battle of Okinawa, Japanese soldiers used civilians as human shields[7]. Another common practice was to strap bombs to civilians, so that when the American Armed Forces defeated the soldiers, the civilians could "surrender" and get close enough to take the lives of our soldiers. I look forward to my opponent's rebuttal. [1] . http://en.wikipedia.org... [2] . http://en.wikipedia.org... [3] . http://articles.latimes.com...[4] . http://www.warbirdforum.com...[5] . http://en.wikipedia.org...[6] . http://en.wikipedia.org...[7] . http://en.wikipedia.org...