Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1945-08-23
i Might Be
|Wrong--But
P. G. sTROMBERG

= are not quite SO sure that it is
over. Many who questioned
either the Jap's sincerity or the
ability of the Emperor to con-
troll the armies are still fearful
that the military clique will not
bow their heads
Renewal OF in submission.
$50 Sorry" AS a matter of
Plea fact there has
been an un
healthy attitude on the part of
Japan ever since they accepted
the Potsdam declaration as a
basis for surrender. Even the
first meeting with General Mac
Arthur was accompanied with
renewal of the $50 sorry" plea
when they failed to have the
cease fire" command obeyed and
when they were late in report
ing to Manila. Since then there
have been incidents where the
men in Japanese uniform have
failed to honor the peace edict
and where our reconnaissance
planes have been fired on caus-
ing one death and a number of
injuries.
In Asia there is still fighting.
In Manchuria the Russians have
continued the fight when the Jap
anese refused to surrender. In
Burma there is continued resist
ance and in China surrender of
the scattered Japanese troops
has been slow.
All of which poses an immedi-
ate question. 1t is whether we,
in our desire for early peace and
our enthusiasm for the role of
victor, left necessary job only
partially completed = whether
'e should have released one, two,
three or a half dozen more atomic
bom b s. The
Jap Military story will be un-
Clique folded next Sum
Will Not Bow day when Cen
eral Macarthur
arrives in Tokyo to have the
peace agreement officially signed.
If trouble develops it could cas-
lily be that we still have the job
ahead of occupying the country
by force.
Despite the round criticism the
United States has received and
still gets because we developed
and used the atomic bomb we
are still the most gullible people
on earth. Like many individuals,
we are so anxious to live as we
desire and so DESTROYS of letting
live as they want that we place
too much trust in nations which
don't deserve to be trusted. If it
develops that the war with Japan
has to still be carried to a con-
clusion by eliminating all phases
of military resistance critics will
say that we should never have
have given an order to cease fir
ing. And yet if the peace settle
ment is completed with the con-
sequent occupation of the coun-
try and the destruction of
Japan's ability to make war we
will have saved many thousands
of American lives.
Our use of the atomic bomb
must be accepted as the real
reason for end
If HirOhitO ing the war
Had The sooner than any
Atomic Bomb one had thought
possible. If we
are held guilty of useless
slaughter d destruction such
guilt must be defended and con-
doned by the thought that it
brought peace sooner. Not for
one moment have ] felt that use
of the atomic bomb was any
thing but a military advantage.
Pity the world and especially
contemplate the plight in which
we would have found ourselves
had Hirohito possessed the
atomic bomb secret.
The danger of the release of
atomic energy lies in its unknown
power Of destruction. We are so
ignorant of its possible effects
that people are Mortified to think
of the possibility of destruction
of the world by. successive re-
lease of varying atomic explos-
ions