Text 37805, 100 rader
Skriven 2006-08-29 19:09:00 av THURSTON ACKERMAN (1:10/345)
     Kommentar till en text av WARD DOSSCHE
Ärende: Re: Frank - take a break
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WD>>> It was a great deterant to the Russkies who would
WD>>> have taken all of urope had they not seen the power of the bomb. Of all
WD>>> the people in charge back then, Truman, the little man with the cigar,
WD>>> McArthur, secretary Stimsen, etc, - Eisenhower was the only one who
WD>>> didn't want us to use that weapon.

WD>> I wonder what this world would be like "today" if those bombs had never
WD>> been dropped. Would Russia still be a super power? Would we have become
WD>> the superpower the U.S. is today? Sounds like the making of a good movie..
WD>> <g>

WD>The shortsighted source from which Roy was cut-and-pasting seems to be
WD>uninformed that at the time of the dropping of the bombs the cold-war had
WD>already started, we just didn't call it "cold war" yet.

WD>There was already a full-scale US, French and British armed-machine in Europ
WD>which, although not formally with borders and such, had already been cut-up
WD>spheres of influence by the conference of Yalta.

WD>Russia attempting to grab the rest of Europe would have resulted in a much
WD>fiercer war than WW2 had ever been and probably would have led to the
WD>destruction of animal-life as we now it today. Including the human species.
WD>Stalin did not die a day too soon ...

WD>As for Japan and how would it have fared without atomic bombs ... There was
WD>shortage of everything except Japanese. The army had been beaten, the navy h
WD>been beaten, the air force had been beaten.

WD>There was no reason whatsoever to invade the Japanese main islands. On its o
WD>Japan could not survive, it had always relied on colonies or occupied
WD>territories to provide it with necessary resources obtained if not by trade,
WD>then by violence.

WD>By shutting-off all trade with the Japanese main islands, the country would
WD>hungered into submission in 6 to 12 months maximum. No need to risk millions
WD>American and Japanese lives just to obtain a document of surrender.

WD>The military influence in the White House, and the sentiment of the time the
WD>did not cater for that strategy and most likely without the bomb the general
WD>would have had their "the bloodiest battle of all history" they would have
WD>liked. A battle of which I'm not certain it could be won.

WD>Japan has never been beaten on its own soil, 1945 was no exception.

WD>But why was it paramount for the US to achieve a quick victory? Because its
WD>leadership already knew the enemy was not Japan but Russia. By not invading
WD>Japan they left the option open for Russia to grab it, and we know the Stali
WD>had little scruples about a million more or less of his own countrymen.

WD>So forcing Japan into submission was more of a thing to confine Russia than
WD>ultimately winning a war which had already been won.

WD>As for Russia, it has never been a super power because it neglected the most
WD>important resource it ever had ... its people.

WD>A super power is more than just a big military capable to strike anywhere. O
WD>must also be an economic power to support that military system, without the
WD>former the latter will collapse.

WD>Because the Soviet economy eventually was unable to keep financing the milit
WD>machine, the latter collapsed as a demise of the former and communism was a
WD>goner.

WD>Russians in later years have stated that life under Communism was better.
WD>Perhaps it was, but the model could not perpetuate itself because there was
WD>circle of trade, with an incentive to keep it going ... such as making a pro
WD>and keeping it. You cannot keep on subventioning your losses, eventually the
WD>system will collapse and ultimately it did.

WD>Under Communism life would have turned equally hard for the Russians because
WD>the shortages would have been there anyway.

WD>The USSR never was a super-power. For a while it just had a big military.
WD>That's all.

WD>During WW2 the American war machine went into gear, the industry transformed
WD>itself overnight to a war-industry, men volunteered for the army, women
WD>volunteered for work in industry, the population as a whole voluntary accept
WD>the heavy shortages there were because it is often forgotton American citize
WD>suffered equally at home with everything rationed or just plain unavailable.

WD>The key-word is "voluntary", that is why it worked, not because there were
WD>party-commissars to keep the population threatened.

My eldest son's first wife was from Cologue, Germany; and his second
is from Minsk, Belorussia, USSR. I doubt either would agree with much
of your viewpoint.

And as to the "voluntary" aspect of those days; more than a few have
pointed out that the second largest second generation American group
were of German heritage and it has been suggested this had a strong
consideration as to why we didn't enter WWII until Japan attacked US
(I can remember when my brother-in-law played in a band during a well
attended BUND meeting in the Boston Garden back in those dark days 8-(

Stay young, OldAck

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