I see that Harry Truman's decision to use the atomic bomb against the Japanese is being discussed once again in the Tribune. A few facts are in order to clarify real history as opposed to the folklore most Americans have been taught.

First, the bombs did nothing to end the war. For that, we must thank the Russians. Having cracked the Japanese code, we knew that once the Russians declared war on the Japanese, they would surrender. Truman learned from Stalin at Potsdam that the Russians would enter the war in mid-August. Rather than wait for Russian entry, Truman dropped the bombs on civilians, including some of our own POWs, at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Nearly every major American military leader said the bombs were unnecessary. From Eisenhower to MacArthur to Lemay to Nimitz to Arnold - all said the bombs did not have to be used. Even Truman's own chief of staff, William Leahy, described their use as barbaric.

In August 1945, the Japanese were totally surrounded and virtually helpless. Keeping in mind that the American invasion of Japan wasn't slated until November, the idea that the atomic bombings saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of American soldiers is just a myth widely believed because its been propagated by the political establishment and re-enforced by historians with no regard for the truth. The truth is often very ugly and discomforting, and most people can't handle it very well, preferring the comfortable lies our government dispenses as easily as Pez candy. At any rate, I encourage those brave souls with an open mind to read Gar Alperovitz's "The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb" to check out what I've just said.