of Hiroshima and Nagasaki proved to be one of the most controversial decisions in American history.

爭論的決定之一。

As the years have passed, the controversy has only intensified. More and more people

許多年過去了，爭論越演越烈。 越來越多人

-- both in America and abroad -- have condemned both President Truman and America for that decision

-—在美國和海外的——紛紛譴責杜魯門總統和美國的決定.但是這些批判是基於有限的歷史知識的情況下，杜魯門面對的形勢

But this criticism is based on limited historical knowledge of both the situation Truman confronted

但是這些批判是基於有限的歷史知識的情況下，杜魯門面對的形勢

and the basis for his decision.

和他做決定的基礎。

Such flawed analysis has been aided by the unfortunate

這種有缺陷的分析，得到非常糟糕的歷史上的不幸

influence of some very bad history,

影響的援助。

such as that written by members of the so-called "atomic diplomacy" school.

例如由所謂的“原子外交”學校成員所寫的分析。

These historians disgracefully alleged that Truman proceeded to drop two

這些歷史學家聲稱不感激杜魯門對日本投放

atomic bombs on a Japan, which he knew was on the verge of surrender, so as to intimidate

原子彈，他知道戰爭在投降的邊緣，從而威脅

the Soviet Union in the already developing Cold War. That specious interpretation must

蘇聯在冷戰中的發展。 這虛有其表的解釋必須

be refuted fully.

要充分駁斥。

Truman sought to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki, two major military/industrial targets, to

杜魯門試圖去轟炸長崎和廣島，兩個主要軍/工業基地，是

avoid an invasion of Japan, which Truman knew would mean, in his words, quote,

為了避免日本的入侵，杜魯門知道這意味着，用他的話概括，

"an Okinawa from one end of Japan to the other," end quote.

“去防止沖繩島事件在日本全境發生".

His assumptions were entirely legitimate.

他的假設是完全正確的。

By July of 1945 the Japanese had been subjected to months of devastating attacks by American

1945年7月，日本人遭受到美國B-29轟炸機破壞性的襲擊

B-29s, their capital and other major cities had suffered extensive damage, and the home

，日本的首都和其他主要城市受到各方面的毀壞，

islands were subjected to a naval blockade that made food and fuel increasingly scarce.

主島受到海上封鎖使食物和燃料日益減少。

Japanese military and civilian losses had reached approximately three million and there

失去的日本軍人和平民大約有三百萬，

seemed no end in sight. Despite all this, however,

戰爭沒有要結束的跡象。儘管如此，然而，

Japan's leaders and especially its military clung fiercely to notions of Ketsu-Go ("decisive battle").

日本的領導尤其是軍隊緊緊抱著Ketsu-Go(果斷戰爭的想法).

In fact, the Japanese government had mobilized a large part of the population into a national militia which would

實際上，日本政府已經動員大量人口來成立國家的自衛隊

be deployed to defend the home islands.

來部署保衛國家。

Confirming the Japanese determination to fight on is the fact that even after the use of

日本決心要爭取的是，即使在對

atomic bombs against both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese military still wanted to pursue

廣島和長崎投放原子彈後，日本軍隊依然想追求

that desperate option.

戰爭那絕望的選擇。

The atomic bombs forced Emperor Hirohito to understand clearly,

原子彈迫使日皇裕仁去想清楚，

and in a way his military leaders refused to comprehend, that the defense of the homeland was hopeless.

某種程度上他的軍隊領導拒絕去理解，祖國的國防是毫無希望的。

It took the unprecedented intervention of a Japanese emperor to break the impasse in

日皇的空前介入打破了

the Japanese government and finally order surrender. It was only the dropping of the

日本政府的僵局和最終命令投降。 投放原子彈是唯一讓

atom bombs that allowed the emperor and the so-called peace faction in the Japanese government

日皇和日本政府裡面所謂的和平派系

to negotiate an end to the war.

來談判結束戰爭。

All the viable alternate scenarios to secure American victory -- all would have meant significantly

所有可行的替代方案來保證美國的勝利——全部都意味著

greater American and allied casualties

美國和盟軍傷亡的增加。

and much higher Japanese civilian and military casualties.

遠遠高於日本軍人和平民的傷亡人數。

According to American military estimates at the time,

那時候根據美國軍方估計，

those numbers would have been well above one million.

傷亡數字會超過一百萬。

Hard as it may be to accept, Japanese losses would have been far greater without the bombs.

或許很難接受，沒有投放原子彈日本人會失去更多。

And the overall casualties would also have included thousands of Allied prisoners of

全部的傷亡人數包括

war whom the Japanese planned to execute in case of invasion.

在遇到入侵情況下日本人打算處死數以千計盟軍的俘虜。

Truman's use of the bomb should be seen as his choosing the least awful of the options available to him.

在所有選擇中，杜魯門使用原子彈應該被視為他選擇了最不糟糕的選擇。

Even in retrospect, far removed from the pressures that Truman faced in 1945, his critics can

甚至回想起來，沒有杜魯門在1945年所面對的壓力，他的批判者可以

offer no serious and convincing proposal regarding a viable and less costly alternative.

提供可行的，沒有那麼昂貴的令人信服的替代方案。

The judgment of history is clear and unambiguous:

歷史的判決是清晰和明確的。

the atomic bombs shortened the war,

原子彈提前結束戰爭，

averted the need for a land invasion, saved countless more lives on both sides of the blood-soaked

避免擴張領土的入侵， 拯救雙方無數被血液浸泡的生命

conflict than they cost, and ended the Japanese brutalization of the conquered peoples of Asia.

和結束日本對被征服亞洲各民族的暴政。

Given the alternatives, what would any moral person have done in Truman's position?

給出選擇，如果在杜魯門的位置，一個有道德的人會做什麼？

I'm Father Wilson Miscamble, Professor of History at Notre Dame, for Prager University.

我是神父Wilson Miscamble, 聖母院Prager University 的歷史系教授。