Comments by "" (@A86) on "Moammar Gadhafi Dead Following Capture in Sirte: White House Reaction" video.

@RobertMProductions - How would "people who are there" know since it never happened? All they can do is speculate on what they were told by their superiors. However, many superiors themselves would say otherwise: General Eisenhower himself and even General McNamara's secretary largely felt Japan was on its last legs without the bombing. Modern evidence has largely borne this out since declassified Japanese intel has shown there was a major movement in the Japanese gov't/military to surrender.
1
@RobertMProductions - Some declassified US military/intel documents show that the nuclear bombing was largely a science experiment to see the A-bomb's effects on live human subjects and largely a calculated military strategy meant to be a deterrant to the Soviet Union. It's no coincidence we dropped the bomb not long before the Soviet Union was going to invade Japan. It was America's way of saying "This is what we can do to you. Stay out. Japan is ours."
1
@RobertMProductions - Some Japanese military brass and civilians had been and were planning coups to defy orders of the Emperor at some points in the war. Obviously some Japanese people did not view Hirohito as infallible, nor was Hirohito himself THAT committed. Also, consider this: how would the threat of death make someone who wants to fight to the death surrender? That doesn't even make sense on a logical level. That's like threatening a suicidal person with a gun.
1
@RobertMProductions - It wasn't millions but it was definitely over 200,000. Over 200,000 died over the next year or two from radiation poisoning and radiation-related illnesses alone. Not to mention the 80,000 or so who died from the initial explosion. That "Japan would have fought to the last man" theory is a myth that a lot of historians (and even some military leaders) disagree with. Including Ike Eisenhower himself.
1
@RobertMProductions - "Japanese troops refused to surrender and fought to the last man or committed suicide" There are many cases of Japanese troops surrendering throughout the war. By your logic there would be no such thing as a Japanese prisoner of war or a Japanese retreat. Japan's military had been in a process of constant retreat for much of 1945. While some civilians were dedicated enough to the Emperor to give up their lives many were not.
1
@RobertMProductions - No refutation, eh? Many historians agree with me, as does at least former President and several top military brass. I think I'll take their honest, non-politi-speech word on it over your opinion. The line you're trying to sell me is one of those cozy national mythologies that leaders sell their people to make the ugly historical facts taste better going down. To convince their people that their amoral government is "not the bad guy". I'll listen to reality. Thanks.
1