[Buddha-l] Re: Greetings from Oviedo

[Lawrence K. Starner]

> Lance Cousins wrote on Friday, October 07, 2005 7:39 AM
>
> The Japanese government had already offered to surrender. The reason
> for bombing Hiroshima was surely both an encouragement and a warning
> to Stalin. An encouragement - because immediately after Hiroshima (of
> which Stalin had some prior knowledge) the Soviet Union declared war
> on Japan. A warning - not to push too hard in Europe.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Lance:

Your first statement is contrary to everything I've read on this subject.
To whom did they offer to surrender?  One resource states:

"The atomic bomb helped to make an invasion of Japan unnecessary. On August
6, a B-29 called the Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb used in
warfare, on the city of Hiroshima. More than 92,000 poeple were killed or
ended up missing. Three days later, an atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki,
which killed at least 40,000. Injuries from the two bombings were about
equal to the deaths. Others would die later from radiation sickness. The
Japanese realized that they were helpless if one atomic bomb could cause so
much damage. On August 10, the Japanese government asked the Allies if
uncondional surrender meant that Emperor Hirohito would have to give up his
throne. The Allies replied that the Japanese people would decide his fate.
On August 14, the Allies received a message from Japan accepting the
surrender terms, and on September 2, aboard the battleship Missouri in Tokyo
Bay, the Allies and Japan signed the surrender agreement." -- from
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1661.html.

Have you any supportive documentation you can point us to?  The rest can be
supported in part.

-- Larry