OPINION:
Wesley Pruden’s recent op-ed about Hiroshima is right on (“No second thoughts about a bomb for Hiroshima,” Web, Aug. 3). I have a few points to add. I understand that the Japanese had developed a “dirty” bomb and a submarine was on its way to the United States with that bomb. If the war had lasted just three more days, the “dirty” bomb would have spread a cloud of radioactive dust over San Francisco, killing an estimated 100,000 innocent American civilians. Fortunately, when the Japanese decided to surrender, they sent a radio message to the sub to abort the mission.
I understand the Japanese had also developed a jet fighter (a copy of the German ME-262). They had built an underground, bomb-proof factory to mass-produce that fighter. They were test-flying the first production model when the war ended. Had the war lasted longer, it is conceivable that the Japanese could have shot down our B29s and gained control of the air, which would have made an invasion much more difficult than expected and resulted in far more American and Japanese deaths. Had we waited too long, it also would have prevented us from using our nuclear bombs.
JOHN K. DIXON
Chantilly
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