Book, story feed anti-Americanism
The AP article in your Aug. 15 paper is revisionist history supported by Russia. The second half of the article did mention historian Richard Frank who downplayed the role of the Soviet invasion of Manchuria.
The book, "Hell to Pay," by D.M. Giangreco, fully establishes that Japan was prepared to fight to the death, anticipating as many as 20 million Japanese dead.
The book also establishes that Japan had withdrawn their best divisions from Manchuria and stationed them on Kyushu and Honshu ready to fight Americans. It also establishes that Japan had over 7,000 old wooden airplanes primed for Kamikaze attacks where American radar was ineffective, which would allow Kamikazes to reach their targets. Okinawa had demonstrated the success of these wooden planes.
American deaths on Saipan, Iwo Jima and Okinawa had resulted in Truman realizing that invading Japan could cost as many as 1 million American lives, not casualties. More details are at dddusmma.wordpress.com
The revisionist history published by a University of Southern California professor has the unfortunate consequence of allowing those who hate America to insist that using atomic weapons was a war crime against humanity. Those who demonstrated against the display of the Enola Gay exhibit at the Smithsonian will leap on this revisionist history.
The headline and first paragraph in your paper are likely to leave most people with the impression that the soviet invasion is what led to ending the war. The article and the book it promotes, only serve to feed anti-Americanism.
Donn D. Dears
Geneva