CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

American History and American Amnesia

Most American interpretations of our history have been triumphal.  From the use of atomic weapons against Japan in 1945 to the justifications for war with Iran in 2026, politicians and pundits have largely accepted the triumphal nature of the use of force and denied the criticism that accompanied these actions.  Interpretations of the past and present have been a battleground at the heart of American politics.  Revisionists and critics have been for the most part on the outside looking in.

The dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 is the best example of the triumphal portrayal of American history, portraying the bombs as necessary to ending the war and saving American lives by preventing a costly land invasion.  Sadly, the dropping of the bombs on Japanese cities—and not military targets per se—conforms to the definition of terrorism.  Such a definition states that targeting civilians in order to place pressure on governments and governing leaders is a form of terrorism and constitutes a war crime.

On the 50th anniversary of the bombing campaign, the National Air and Space Museum tried to present an exhibit of the first use of an atomic weapon by featuring the fuselage of the Enola Gay.  The exhibit was designed to explain the weapon that brought peace and victory to the Pacific as well as........

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