Tulsi Gabbard Bombs American History

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Tuesday released a short video on the devastation wrought by the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Her account is morally obtuse history in pursuit of feckless lessons for contemporary foreign policy. Regardless of where one draws the moral line on the decision to drop the bombs, America has nothing to apologize for — and the DNI should not be conducting her own foreign policy media strategy with campaign-style videos.

In narrating the moving story of Japanese civilian suffering from the bombs and their radioactive aftereffects, Gabbard refers to each bombing as an “attack,” without even mentioning the war that they arose from and ended. That war was started by Imperial Japan. It was Japan that invaded China in 1937, the Soviet Union in 1938, Mongolia in 1939, French Indochina in 1940, and Thailand and the Pacific Rim possessions of the United States, Britain, and the Netherlands in 1941. It was Japan that brought war to Australia, Burma, the Philippines, and many Pacific islands that the waves of human conflict had previously left unsullied. It was Japan that allied itself with Nazi Germany. It was Japan that launched the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that killed over 2,300 Americans and was rightly branded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as “a day that will live in infamy.” It’s a sad comment that a former congresswoman from Hawaii has seemingly forgotten that infamy.

About the Author

The Editors

The Editors comprise the senior editorial staff of the National Review magazine and website.

Featured Tags

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Tuesday released a short video on the devastation wrought by the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Her account is morally obtuse history in pursuit of feckless lessons for contemporary foreign policy. Regardless of where one draws the moral line on the decision to drop the bombs, America has nothing to apologize for — and the DNI should not be conducting her own foreign policy media strategy with campaign-style videos.

In narrating the moving story of Japanese civilian suffering from the bombs and their radioactive aftereffects, Gabbard refers to each bombing as an “attack,” without even mentioning the war that they arose from and ended. That war was started by Imperial Japan. It was Japan that invaded China in 1937, the Soviet Union in 1938, Mongolia in 1939, French Indochina in 1940, and Thailand and the Pacific Rim possessions of the United States, Britain, and the Netherlands in 1941. It was Japan that brought war to Australia, Burma, the Philippines, and many Pacific islands that the waves of human conflict had previously left unsullied. It was Japan that allied itself with Nazi Germany. It was Japan that launched the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that killed over 2,300 Americans and was rightly branded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as “a day that will live in infamy.” It’s a sad comment that a former congresswoman from Hawaii has seemingly forgotten that infamy.