Dear Commons Community,

Today marks the 75th Anniversary of the dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima, ending World War II.  The video above shows the Japanese commemorating the day.  We all join them in hoping that another such bomb is never dropped again.

If you are interested in the events leading up to the decision to drop the bomb, I posted earlier this year a review of the book, The Accidental President, by A.J. Balme.  The final one hundred pages cover the Potsdam Conference and the dropping of the bomb.  The book does a good analysis  of Truman’s decision to use atomic weapons.  Balme believes that Truman was convinced it would save the lives of 250,000  American soldiers who would have been part of a military invasion of Japan.  Quoting Truman:  “It occurred to me that a quarter of a million of the flower of our young manhood were worth a couple of Japanize cities,  and I still think they were and are.”

Tony

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