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Columnist was right about the bomb

Regarding a writer's call for the Daily Herald to drop Richard Cohen's column: First, I take exception to anyone requesting a newspaper to dump or silence a columnist that they don't agree with. It is not the American way.

Second, the content is off base; Richard Cohen was correct. We cannot look at a decision to drop the bomb in the context of 2015 instead of 1945.

As each island was taken to get closer to Japan, the fanatical resistance of the Japanese armed forces grew. Look at the casualty figures from Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Japan was going to resist until they were forced to yield.

My father, who had survived three invasions (Saipan, Tinian and Okinawa) along with thousands of other young Americans were on their way to invade Japan.

While it is tragic that civilians had to die, the cost in American and Japanese lives would have been greater if the invasion took place.

The only point that is in question is did the new president, Harry Truman have the political savvy of Franklin Roosevelt to sense a political change in Japan's position. It took two atomic bombs and Soviet Russia declaring war to finally end World War II.

Michael Weiser

Wheeling

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