14 May 2008 UTC In addition to Bernard s scholarly references just above a quote from the below cited book by Francis Harbour who is also a professor seems appropriate here to illustrate the coverage of that decision in other venues The U S decision to use atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is one of the most closely examined and best documented decisions in recent history and one of of the most emotionally charged Almost everyone who has ever thought about World War II has a strong opinion about whether the bombing was necessary and about whether it was right or wrong In 1995 the fiftieth anniversary of the bombing provoked dozens of articles in major newspapers and magazines around the country and a spate of hotly debated television documentaries Opinions remain politically charged as well Harbour 1999 page 68 It s not a fringe argument by any stretch 12 55