CNSNews.com ran an article yesterday reporting that for the first time, a US envoy will travel to Japan to attend the commemoration of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

The State Department announced that Ambassador John Roos would represent the U.S. at the August 6 event at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, “to express respect for all of the victims of World War II.”

Asked why the gesture was being made at this time, spokesman Philip Crowley said, “At this particular point, we thought it was the right thing to do.”

Of course, this brings up the ongoing debate of “should we have or shouldn’t we have” (I’m of the first opinion), but it’s also raising another question: Will the U.S. apologize?

I have my own very firm opinion on this as well. (Just read Flyboys by James Bradley, and you’ll understand what we stopped by ending the war.)

But my opinion aside for just a moment, some truth demands exposure.

In all the mentions – be they in the news, in discussions, etc. – of the United States’ dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, what is almost always emphasized? The thousands upon thousands of innocent people killed (approximately 140,000 in Hiroshima and 80,000 in Nagasaki).

But what is missing from nearly all the coverage? The fact that prior to the bombing, the U.S. dropped millions of leaflets over the cities warning residents of the upcoming bombings.

Newsbusters.com has a magnificently researched article on this very topic. You can read it here.

The articles details that after the Potsdam meeting on July 26, 1945, “Japanese citizens … were continually notified … of imminent bombings, which is certainly far more than our forces at Pearl Harbor were afforded on December 7, 1941.”

So when it comes to the question of an apology, I hardly think requesting one is even close to appropriate. And I hope our State Department clearly understands the historical facts before the August 6 memorial.

Seriously, please read Noel Sheppard’s Newsbusters.com article.