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Nuclearweaponshelpnoone:Theybring
doubtsaboutmankind'sfuturenotpeace

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LATESTINOPEDCOLUMNS

August6,201212:00AM

GeorgeWill:OnRomney,theGOPneedstolook
forward,notback
about21hoursago

ByJoeWhite
Sharewithothers:

Today,Aug.6,marksthe67thanniversaryofthedroppingof
0
theatomicbombonHiroshimaandonNagasakithreedays
later.AmajorityofAmericansdonotconsiderittobeaday
thatwillliveininfamy.

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Onthecontrary,theybelievethatbybringingaboutJapan's
surrenderaweeklater,theuseoftheatomicbombsaved
hundredsofthousandsofAmericanandJapaneselives,that
allthealternativestotheuseoftheatomicbombwere
carefullyconsidered,andthatsavingthoseliveswasatop
priorityofthedecisionmakers.
Historicalresearchconfirmsnoneofthesebeliefs.Estimatesofhowmanyifanyliveswere
savedareanirreduciblyspeculativeexercisein"Mondaymorningquarterbacking"andinanycase
didnotenterintothedecisionmakers'considerations.Whatwedoknowisthatroughly200,000
peoplewerekilledimmediately,thevastmajorityofwhomwerewomen,childrenandmale
noncombatants.Amongthekilledwere12capturedAmericanfliersimprisonedintheHiroshima
cityjail.
Alternativestotheuseoftheatomicbombwerehardlyconsidered.Thereweremanyreasonsfor
this,nottheleastofwhichbeingthatthe$2billionthatitcosttodeveloptheatomicbombwasalot
ofrealmoneyinthosefaroffdays.Ademonstrationofthebomb'sawesomedestructivenesswas
rejectedontheunderstandablegroundsthatifitfailed,theJapanesewouldseeusascomplete
weaklingsandidiots.

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Indeed,farmoretimewasspentontargetselection.AtfirsttheancientandbeautifulcityofKyoto
wasatthetopoftheshortlistbecausetheTargetingCommitteethoughtthatKyoto'speoplewere
"moreintelligentandhencebetterabletoappreciatethesignificanceoftheweapon."

CivicScience

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ButSecretaryofWarHenryStimson,aRepublicanandrespectedWallStreetcorporatelawyer,put
hisfootdownandvetoedKyoto.HiroshimaandNagasakiwereselectedinsteadbecauseofthe
proximityofworkers'housingtothecities'factories.
Becauseofitssheer,indiscriminatedestructiveness,theuseoftheatomicbombfitsinseamlessly
withtherestofWorldWarII,thebloodiestwarinhumanhistory.
Butatleastitaccomplishedwhatitsmakersintended.Canthesamebesaidfortheusefulnessof
nuclearweaponssincel945?
http://www.postgazette.com/opinion/OpEd/2012/08/06/NuclearweaponshelpnooneTheybringdoubtsaboutmankindsfuturenotpeace/stories/20120806

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1/20/2015

Nuclearweaponshelpnoone:Theybringdoubtsaboutmankind'sfuturenotpeace|PittsburghPostGazette

Let'sstartwiththeUnitedStates.OurnuclearweaponsdidnotpreventourdefeatinVietnam.They
didnotprevent9/11.Theyarenotsavingusfromourcurrentpoliticalandeconomicmess.

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SovietRussia'snucleararsenaldidnotsaveSovietstylecommunismfrommeltdownanddeath.
BritainandFranceacquirednuclearweaponsinthehopeofpreservingtheirstatusas"Great
Powers."Itdidn'twork.
FidelCastroaskedforandreceivednuclearweaponsfromSovietRussiatodetertheUnitedStates
fromlaunchingarmedinvasionslikethe1961BayofPigsfiasco.
For13daysinOctober1962nuclearholocaustwasarealpossibility.Theremovalofthenukes
resolvedthecrisis.TheirremovalstronglyappearstohavestrengthenedCuba'snationalsecurity,
Israelpossessesnuclearweapons,butdoesnotsayso.Whateverelsecanbesaidaboutthem,they
havenotbroughtIsraelsomuchasonestepclosertopeacewithitsneighbors.
NuclearweaponshavedonenothingtohelpsolveIndia'spressingpoliticalandsocialproblems.
ThesamegoesforPakistan,whichspendsroughly25percentofitsGNPondefense(compared
withunder5percentfortheUnitedStates),whichhasbeenassessedashavingthesecondmost
corruptpoliticalsystemintheworldandwhichisapoliticalscientist'sExhibitAofwhatafailed
statelookslike.
Threewarssince1947havebeenfoughtoverownershipofKashmirbetweenIndiaandPakistan.A
fourthwarcouldveryeasilyturnnuclear.
Finally,thereisChina.Itsrecenteconomicsuccesseshavenothingtodowithnuclearcapability.
Allofthisiswellknowntointernationalrelationsandstrategicstudiesspecialists,manyofwhom
haveimpeccablyconservativecredentials.Manyofthemhavecometotheconclusionthatnuclear
weaponsareuselessandthereforeharmless.Inmyview,theyareexactly50percentcorrect.
Uselessbutpotentiallyextremelyharmfulwouldbemuchclosertothetruth.
Despitetheoverwhelmingevidencethatnuclearweaponsdonothelptheirownerstoachieveany
oftheirstrategicorotherobjectives,notasinglecountryhasgottenridofitsnuclearweapons
eitherunilaterallyorbynegotiations.Forreasonsthatarebothtooobviousandtoodepressingto
reiterate,nucleardisarmamentwillnotbeontheagendaanytimesoon.Andyetvirtuallyeveryday
inPittsburghandmanyothercitiesinAmericaandelsewherethroughouttheworldonesees
peopleofallagessportingshirtsandotherarticlesofclothingemblazonedwiththenuclear
disarmamentmovement's"peacesymbol."
Predictionsarealwaysrisky,butthepredictionthatifthehumanracehasafuture,itwillbeanon
nuclearone,isassafeastheycome.
opinion_commentary

JoeWhiteofHarmony,ButlerCounty,taughthistoryattheUniversityofPittsburghfrom1969to
2009.Hespecializedin19thand20thcenturyBritain,internationalworkingclasshistoryandthe
historyofthenuclearageandColdWar.

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