[Vision2020] Andreas divines the thoughts of Japanese enemy...

[Andreas Schou]

On 11/14/06, Tony <tonytime at clearwire.net> wrote:
> Andreas could you please tell me when you first developed this ability to
> divine, over 60-some years, the inner workings of the Japanese commanders?
> The rest of us would no doubt be thrilled to state unequivocally that the
> Japanese "would have surrendered anyway" (without the bomb.)  Being able to
> state beyond a shadow of a doubt how history might have taken shape had your
> policy been in place must be terribly helpful.

In June of 1945, the Japanese contacted the Soviets to discuss a
Soviet-brokered conditional peace -- a communication we were aware of,
because, at the time, Japanese diplomatic codes and the Japanese
government had been sufficiently compromised that we were privy to the
Imperial Council's own internal deliberations. That resposne would
have contained three conditions to surrender: that the Japanese be
allowed to try their own war criminals, that the Japanese mainland not
be occupied, and that the Emperor remain ceremonial head of the
Japanese state. These conditions would have clearly been unacceptable
to the Allies. The fact remains, however,  that the atomic bombs
dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed a quarter of a million
civilians not to transform defeat into victory but an armistice into
an unconditional surrender.

-- ACS