TO THE EDITOR:
I was saddened and dismayed when I read the editorial about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki being “not necessary and not morally justifiable” in the August 20 edition. I believe the editorial casts a very negative (even sinful) light on President Truman, a man I believe was honest and God-fearing. It is very easy in 2020 to point a finger at an occurrence that happened 75 years earlier. In 1945, American soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen had for years been dying on God forsaken islands like Tinian, Guadalcanal and yes, Iwo Jima! The Japanese military, among the most vicious and inhumane at the time, had vowed to fight to the last man. The invasion of the Japanese home islands, President Truman was told, could mean 1 million or more U.S. casualties and many more Japanese casualties who were prepared to “fight to the death.” Can anyone imagine the extreme pressure that one man was under?
Is war itself necessary and morally justifiable? Once war is foisted on a nation (Pearl Harbor), is the head of that nation not justified in defending his citizens, or should he fight with “one hand tied behind his back? WWII was beyond horrendous; no one would deny that. But considering the situation, I believe it is not for any man to say that the dropping of the A-bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was “not necessary and not morally justifiable.” That is only for our God to determine! I agree, though. May it never happen again.
George T. Rocchio
North Providence
