East and West

Press, 6 October 1987, Page 16

East and West

’■ Sir,—M. T. Moore American politicians and military commanders in his brandtag,, of the West as instigator of the Cold War. It is a pity he does not also quote British and Russian sources. I believe that Russia started the Cold War immediately after V.E. Day. This belief is based on actual experiences in Berlin in August, 1945, when any attempts to befriend, talk to; or even shake hands with Russian A servicemen ’ were stopped f by higher authority. If top military commanders condemned thesuse? of the .nuclear bomb, that' view was not shared by the operational staff about to transfer from Europe to the Pacific nor, I guess, by those already serving in that theatre. If the Soviet Union fatal war, on Japan at an earlier dafeiand allowed Bomber Command to operate . from the Vladivostok area, of the Wlear bomb may have been avoided.— Yours, etc., -'J I • I October !, 1987. ■ ; Sir, T. rfall (October 5) repeats the military myth: the " 1945 atom bomblng of Japan was necessary to save a ; million American lives.. President Tru- ; man broadcast this excite in August, 1945, although he (knew from intelligence sources that Japan had already put out .peace feelers through Portugal and Russia in July. His Secretary for War, Stimson, in a memo to Truman dated July 2, 194J5, Mid . Japan had no allies, her military . forces were crippled, industry largely destroyed and .was vulnerable to concentrated |dr at- ;

? tack (proved by the February j- 1945 fire-bombing of Tokyo); f With the projected invasion Of Japan still four months my (November, 1945) Truman still > | decided to drop two atom bombs f. on Japan. Joseph Davies, ( F America’s Ambassador to Russia, • predicted in 1945 that "the bomb 1 would threaten future US.J U.S.S.R. relations; the future of? ; civilisation; start an arms race;; .? j- bankrupt both nations, and only • confirm Soviet fears of western . ; hostility.” How tragically right he; was. — Yours, etc., ib M. T. MOORE. October 5, 1987.