Weirdness

Sunday, August 15, 2010

nice little article on the Soviet attack on Japan in WWII

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/14/AR2010081401871.html

This (partially) feeds into what I've written earlier. The Soviets were a valuable ally and necessary ally to the U.S. in the War. I happen to believe that both the Russian intervention and the bomb were the reasons for Japan's surrender. One factor that's never borught up is hirohito and the ruling circle's own cowardice in determining the end. I personally believe that private assurances were made that he wouldn't swing by a rope if he surrendered "unconditionally". I also personally believe we should then have gone ahead and done so, regardless - but as I've written before, geopolitics is always messy.
To add to my suspicion of personal cowardice being a factor, is the fact that recent research has detailed eleaborate plans for a huge underground bunker complex to house the emperor in late 1945 or early 1946, (safe from standard bombings). The plans I read about were impressive. I can't help but wonder if the A-bomb was pereceived as being effective enough to destroy even this redoubt, and so, facing a real chance of death, good ol' hirohito shit his pants and cashed in his chips. We'll never know, but the timing is tempting...

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