Both Arnie Hove's letter, "An apology from one American," and Thomas Blatt's "Unlimited self-righteousness," both published Aug. 5, make some interesting points about why America may have reason to apologize for some of its actions in World War II. However, one thing worth considering is what I recently read in Col. Avery Chenoweth's very fine history of the U.S. Marine Corps ("Semper Fi"): "Had either the Germans (who were very close to developing) or the Japanese been able to develop the A-bomb first, the world would quite possibly be a very different place today. It is likely that neither enemy would have hesitated to use the bomb indiscriminately." Something to think about.
bob austenfeld
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