Nagasaki

Today I went to Ground Zero at Nagasaki and the Museum. Its interesting how some things change your views. I always assumed that the bombing was necessary to end the war. And indeed it did end the war and make for a very stable peace, which may have been the best. But now I wonder if it was really necessary. Perhaps the decision was made prematurely and even with some historical malice. If we were just trying to demonstrate the power of the Bomb, why couldn’t we blow up a sparsely populated valley or find a military base with few surrounding towns? 250,000 is a lot of people to lose in a couple days. Was it really necessary? There is no way to really know.

It is an eerie feeling to know that on the spot you are standing an atomic bomb instantly killed 70,000 people. Now, however, it looks like a city again. Completely rebuilt in a matter of 10 years. It feels strange.