re: Band of Brothers vs The Pacific

quote:

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saying that it as pure genius that Truman Eisenhower and the top leaders in the US allowed the Emperor to remain because it we would have kill him we would still be in a "war" with Japan

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That was definitely the smart move, allowing the Emperor to remain on the throne (although he was compelled to give up his "divine" status and he also became more of a constitutional monarch). That was one thing that the U.S. compromised on in the end, after demanding unconditional surrender. Allowing the Emperor to remain was small potatoes when one considers what we got in return.

A close advisor to General Douglas MacArthur, Brigadier General Bonner Fellers, knew a great deal about Japanese history and culture, and advised MacArthur thusly:

"An absolute and unconditional defeat of Japan is the essential ingredient for a lasting peace in the Orient. Only through complete military disaster and the resulting chaos can the Japanese people be disillusioned from their fanatical indoctrination that they are the superior people, destined to be overlords in Asia. Only stinging defeat and colossal losses will prove to the people that the military machine is not invincible and that their fanatical leadership has taken them the way to disaster . . . There must be no weakness in the peace terms. However, to dethrone or hang the Emperor would cause tremendous and violent reaction from all Japanese . . . Hanging the Emperor would be comparable to the crucifixion of Christ to us. All would fight and die like ants. The position of the militarists would be strengthened immeasurably. An independent Japanese army responsible only to the Emperor is a permanent menace to peace. But the mystic hold the Emperor has on the people . . . properly directed need not be dangerous. The Emperor can be made a force for good and peace provided the military clique [around him] . . . is destroyed."

How the Emperor became human and MacArthur became divine