Madam, - The practical means-end reasons to justify using the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, according to the political philosopher John Rawls in a paper "Fifty Years after Hiroshima" (1995) were: (i) to hasten the end of the war, (ii) to save the lives of American soldiers, (iii) to give the emperor and the Japanese leaders a way to save face, and (iv) to impress the Russians with American power and make them more agreeable to American demands.
Rawls states this fourth reason is highly disputed but is urged by some critics and scholars as important and includes it because of that. AF Mac Gabhann (October 8th) seems to view this fourth reason as the singular "real reason" and to view reasons (i) and (ii) as "old argument" and "discredited". I go with Rawls's emphasis on the first three reasons.
More importantly, Rawls, who died in November 2002, believed the fire-bombing of Japanese cities beginning in spring 1945 and the later atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6th were very great wrongs, and rightly seen as such. Thank you, John Rawls. - Yours, etc,
JAMES FINNEGAN,
Letterkenny,
Co Donegal.