they were not human

Sara, yes the Japanese did some terrible things during the war. There's no shortage of bad behavior during war, but the ending circumstances of WWII had many negative repercussions still affecting us. I hope you're not saying we were justified in using nuclear weapons at that time. Historical documents show the attack to be a message to the Russians and that the Japanese were slaughtered to deliver that message. While this is not pleasant to consider or accept, it is true.

Kim, thanks for this comment. Yes, it's harder to abuse someone we know. Demonization can lead to all kinds of bad things.

I think you mean Oppenheimer. He was one of the chief scientists involved in the development of the atomic bomb. The horror of it all didn't end with the end of the war. It led to an arms race and proliferation of nuclear weapons that still threaten us all.

SP, thanks. This is a difficult subject. Your review highlights exactly what this is about. It's not something I revel in writing about since it is so very unflattering. However, if we don't fact the truth regarding our past actions, we can never act differently when faced with similar situations.

Robert, thanks for your comment. The racism that developed as a result of the war was unfortunate and widespread. It enabled the Truman administration to use the bomb for political reasons without regard to its effect on civilians. The original thesis proposed by Gar Alperovitz in his book Atomic Diplomacy, has largely been reaffirmed as more information about decisions made has come to light. The potential deaths of allied soldiers was used to justify the use of the bombs and it seemed like a reasonable excuse to many at the time, but it hid the real motivation for the bomb's use. The lie undermined our democratic society, which requires truth in order for us to decide what leadership we should have. The real motives should have been stated from day 1. Now, all we can do is learn from what happened provided we are willing to accept the evil we participated in. It's very bitter and even impossible for many Americans to contemplate.

Tonye, I'm with you...wars represent the worst possible way to settle differences. Compromise, understanding, and willingness to share resources goes a long way toward this goal, but we often seem not willing to consider the perspective of others.

Daniel, you are very kind indeed and also very open minded....a really good thing. We know we can't go back and undo things from the past, but we could learn the lessons and change the way we deal with disagreements, opportunities, and challenges going forward. Any change that could occur involves recognition of what happened previously. The way we act now says a lot about who we are. Sounds somewhat like therapy for a whole country!

Thanks for being thoughtful Arthur. In one sense, this was an ongoing example of cultural dismissal. We haven't changed our behavior since we displaced the native Americans. At least legal slavery ended. The brutality involved regarding the A-bomb is hard for us to look at.

Hilda, I agree wars result in horrible things and we should not start them. Diplomacy and peace can solve the same issues and cost a lot less in pain, suffering, and treasure. The actions taken at the end of WWII were calculated by our leaders rather than performed by subordinates such as described in your comment. We should not forgive any of it, as every single death is tragic. All the victims lost everything.