why do some people feel America should have suffered 1 million dead rather than drop the atomic bomb?

Question

Estimates for the invasion of Japan ran in some estimates as high as 1 million KIA. Why do some believe whole heartildy that the US should have taken that risk.

Answer 1

I'm glad that we dropped two A-bombs on japan to end the war. That was the best thing to do. Those who disagree with that are just idiots. Japan started the war and they got what they deserved. By the way, the japs were given some warning before the bombs were dropped and they did have the chance to surrender before the bombs were dropped but they made a choice and suffered from it. They can only blame themselves.

Answer 2

The simple answer is that the US simply didn't want to commit to the blood bath that an invasion of the Japanese home islands would turn into. After seeing just how desperately the Japanese had fought on Okinawa and Iwo Jima, the thought of fighting on Japanese home soil was understandably intimidating. I remember reading somewhere that Allied analysts were predicting over a million American casualties before the islands could be secured (a little less than twice the total American loss of life on all fronts in WWII). However, I'm personally of the opinion that, while yes, it was certainly impressive that two bombs achieved that level of destruction, they were just drops in the bucket compared to the havoc the B-29 Fire Bombing Raids were causing. Something on the order of 60,000 people (ball park) were killed when the first atomic bomb went off, while around 100,000 people died in the fire-storm that consumed Tokyo in the wake of a concentrated Incendiary raid. I'm sure that Russian Tank armies crashing into Japanese occupied Manchuria 2 days after the first atomic bomb was dropped had just as much to do with motivating a Japanese surrender as anything else. I don't think Stalin would have even blinked at spending a million Soviet lives to over-run Japan, as he'd just spent many times that bleeding the far more formidable Germany army white.

Answer 3

Who thinks we should have suffered 1-million dead?

It's definitely arguable, whether or not we should have dropped the A-bomb. I suppose the people who believe we should not are pointing at the lives of Japanese civilians that were lost, whereas if we'd continued longer in the war, it would have been the lives of soldiers being lost. I've heard it argued that soldiers, by joining the military, "know the risk they're taking."

I'm not saying I agree; I'm still working this one out. But you did ask the question.

Answer 4

I think it was more like 1,000,000 US Casualties which would include wounded and killed. However, that estimate does not include Japanese casualties that would likely have been multiples of 1,000,000.

I think that most people assume that the consequences of not dropping the bomb would be as little as dropping the bomb. They lack the understanding of what the Japanese response was likely to be along with not realizing the potential consequences of Soviet involvement that would have likely cost more Japanese casualties (looking at the Soviets' history in Eastern Europe and their longeterm animosity with Japan). Additionally, occupation of Japan by the Soviets after a protracted battle would likely have resulted in a situation similar to that in Eastern Europe and would have been another potential source for a warming of the "Cold War" that actually resulted.

Answer 5

There have been many attempts to justify the use of nuclear weapons on Japanese civilians during the second world war. One such justification is that millions of lives were saved; that an American invasion of Japan would have resulted in the deaths of 20 million Japanese and 1 or 2 million American soldiers. Even if one cuts those numbers down to one fourth, the result still seems wholly unacceptable in light of the presumed necessity of a military invasion of Japan. The Japanese engaged in genocide on a massive scale, the Rape of Nanking being the bloodiest event in human history. So, many would argue that the Japanese deserved what they got. That argument conveniently overlooks the fact that the use of nuclear weapons against a civilian population is an anathema, a moral outrage.

Later in his life, Albert Einstein said that his deepest regret was that he ever wrote that letter to President Roosevelt on the theoretical viablility of building an atomic bomb.

Answer 6

20-20 hindsight by the moralists weren't living then or had their 21 year old sons in the Marines who were about to invade the main islands of Japan.....but they're quick to condemn the nuclear attacks. BTW, the estimate of american dead is closer to 500,000.

Answer 7

Saved more lives, U.S. and Japanese. The Japanese people were told our troops were murderers, rapists and devils from their governments propaganda. That's the reason why some of them who lived on islands we were invading would kill themselves by jumping off cliffs before our troops could get to them. Needless to say it would have been a long fight with lots of casualties to make Japan surrender without nukes.

Answer 8

I would never choose one over the other. But dropping the a-bomb was the worst mistake the United States has ever made. My assumption to why people would prefer 1 million deaths over the atomic bomb is because it gives a reason to why any country should have the right to construct one. It gives the smallest, powerless country the power to control, and blackmail, others as a mechanism to achieve their interests.

Answer 9

We dropped the atomic bomb because Japan utterly refused to give us an unconditional surrender. They were prepared to surrender, but they had one reservation. They feared that we would strip them of their Emperor (who is Divine in their eyes) if they had to surrender unconditionally. We responded by dropping two nukes and killing hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women, and children. Guess what? After that, they still refused to give us an unconditional surrender, so we agreed to their terms anyway and let them keep their beloved Emperor. Moral: Hundreds of thousands of innocent people died and the terror of nuclear weaponry was unleashed upon the world for absolutely no reason. Einstein, who played a large role in the development of the A-bomb, later made several speechs in Japan, apologizing for his role. It was his greatest regret.

Answer 10

Who are the 1 million and if it is all Liberals I say hey baby i got your number and hey! Atomic bombs all around for me baby!