"Multiple nations possess atomic weapons. But only one nation has ever used them in war against another nation. Do you know which country it was?" Those are probably not the exact words my American History teacher, J.C. Young, used in class one day during the early part of my junior year at Phelps High School in Phelps, Kentucky back in 1974. But I think I just accurately paraphrased what he said.
In response, several of my classmates shook their heads that they didn't know, or remained silent. But quite a few persons responded that it was Russia. My best friend, seated in front of me, turned to me and said "It was Russia, wasn't it?" I replied to him, no, that it was the United States.
At an early age, I began reading newspapers, magazines, and books regularly. I knew it was the United States that dropped such bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 to help end World War II. It shocked me that so many others did not know. None of my classmates had replied that it was the United States.
After some of my classmates had responded Russia to the teacher, I spoke up clearly and said it was the United States. I think a few other people nodded or spoke quietly that I was right. Perhaps they already knew, but had kept silent.
But, on the other side of the room, a girl spoke up very loudly, saying something like, "That's stupid. You all are stupid. It wasn't Russia, and it certainly wasn't the United States. It was Japan. Everyone in this country ought to remember the day the Japanese dropped the atomic bomb on Pearl Harbor." I think a few of her friends nearby quietly corrected her, and she was embarrassed, realizing her mistake.
Indeed, if they had taken time to think about it, I think most of my classmates would have remembered reading or hearing somewhere that it was the United States that dropped those weapons. But, often we speak without thinking clearly, or our views are distorted by misleading information or "fake news." Though it wasn't me that day, several other times I've misspoken myself.
When Mr. Young asked that question, the Cold War between the United States and Russia (the Soviet Union) was going on. The nuclear weapons both nations possessed in 1974 (and those the two nations currently possess) were far more powerful than the atomic bombs used against Japan back in 1945. The nuclear arms race between the US and the USSR was one of the key focuses of news reports in the United States in 1974.
Freedom of the Press and Helping Others
If in the United States, where freedom of the press is much greater than in much (maybe most?) of the world, so many people in a high school American History class could make the mistake my classmates did, what about in countries where freedom of the press is much more limited?
For example, is it likely that citizens in North Korea have a very distorted world view? I've never been to North Korea or anywhere else outside the United States, so I can't say for sure. But, I'm guessing the North Koreans have a much more distorted view of world history than those of us in the United States.
Many credit the United States military for our nation's success. But maybe freedom of the press and a commitment to helping others are more important. We get a wide variety of information presenting numerous viewpoints from our media, including from the Internet. Furthermore, through the Peace Corps, CARE, and numerous other organizations, our country helps around the world.
And I am grateful that a significant amount of our military efforts overseas are humanitarian aid helping out after natural disasters, etc. I am proud that after World War II our nation did so much to help rebuild other nations, even former enemies. Persons in the United States helped turn even Japan, where we dropped those bombs, into our friends.
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| The World Peace Bell in Newport, Kentucky is supposedly the world's largest free-swinging bell. Maybe someday it will ring to announce world peace. I took this photograph of the bell on November 16, 2016. |
Naturally, we need to take care of our own needs and those of our neighborhood, state, and country. But establishing and maintaining world peace requires being fair to others and helping them when needed, too. And part of putting our own needs first includes holding ourselves accountable first before seeking to hold other countries accountable. We need to do it, and other nations need to as well. I hope and pray that we all exhibit love for one another now and in the future.
Closing Thoughts
Scholars still debate whether dropping those bombs ended the war, thus saving many lives, or whether the bombs were an unnecessary tragedy. But, regardless of whether or not dropping the bombs was the right decision, it is a fact that those bombs dropped. And, I hope and pray that neither the United States nor any other nation ever uses nuclear weapons in the future.
My family moved from Phelps later in 1974 during my junior year of high school, and I graduated from another high school. But, I still remember Mr. Young's question from that day over four decades ago. And I firmly hope I learned a lesson from it.
NOTE: This post was last revised on July 31, 2019.
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