On August 6, 1945 We Dropped The Bomb: Harry Truman Told Hiroshima They Deserved It

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The anniversary of the first use of an atomic weapon is August 6 and there are some hoary old papers preserved in the archives at the Truman Presidential Library about the wartime Democratic president's dismissive response to civic leaders in Hiroshima, Japan. They made the mistake of complaining in 1958 about his decision to drop an atomic bomb on their city.

Hiroshima was flattened on Aug. 6, 1945, and Truman -- never one to mince his words -- wrote the Japanese they deserved exactly what they got:

"The need for such a fateful decision, of course, never would have arisen, had we not been shot in the back by Japan at Pearl Harbor in December, 1941. And in spite of that shot in the back, this country of ours, the United States of America, has been willing to help in every way the restoration of Japan as a great and prosperous nation."

That was Truman on March 12, 1958. He never apologized, never looked back.

His typewritten statement released on the day of the bombing in 1945 is in the archives, too. There is not a single mamby-pamby sentence in the document. Instead, it expresses the vengeance of a nation at war against an enemy it was determined to annihilate. Truman said the bomb was built under pressure and without failure, and vowed to use it again and again until the Japanese capitulated.

"We are now prepared to obliterate more rapidly and completely every productive enterprise the Japanese have above ground in any city. We shall destroy their docks, their factories, and their communications. Let there be no mistake; we shall completely destroy Japan's power to make war."

That was President Harry Truman giving them hell on Aug. 6, 1945. He knew war was hell. And he meant what he said: "The force from which the sun draws its power has been loosed against those who brought war to the Far East."

Ohio Going Global: Translation Programs Increase Transparency

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- This is what Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann has to say about himself to Japanese speakers:

"イラクの私達の軍隊を確かめるために戦う堕落を露出し、きれいにするために充満を導いて防護着を持つために必要とするかどうか私達の公立学校を、家族の農場、絞りかすDannの維持を私達の環境改良するために、働くことは最も高く倫理的な標準に民主的な主義に防御の社会保障、または助力を保護して終生の責任、責任、および働き家族にオハイオ州の司法長官のオフィスに激しい献身を持って来る"。

That is the first paragraph from Dann's biography on his official state Web site. The Democrat has created a portal that can be translated into 15 languages, including Arabic and Chinese. The English version goes as follows:

"Whether leading the charge to expose and clean up corruption, fighting to make sure our troops in Iraq have the body armor they need, working to improve our public schools, protecting our environment, defending Social Security, or helping to preserve family farms, Marc Dann brings a lifelong commitment to democratic principles, a commitment to the highest ethical standards, and a fierce devotion to working families to the office of Ohio Attorney General."

Here it is in Russian: "Ли водящ обязанность для того чтобы подвергнуть действию и очистить вверх по развращению, воюя для того чтобы make sure наши войска в Ираке иметь панцырь тела им, работа для того чтобы улучшить наши бесплатные государственные школы, защищающ наши окружающую среду, защищая сочиальное обеспечение, или помогать сохранить семейные фермы, Марк Dann приносит пожизненное принятие окончательного решения к демократическим принципам, принятие окончательного решения к самым высоким этичным стандартам, и свирепую преданность к работая семьям к офису attorney general Огай Огайа."

How cool. In this era of globalization and instant links, there are pockets of Ohio opening up to the world. Everything on Marc Dann's official site can be changed at the click of a mouse. The practice has not caught on widely yet in Ohio, but expect to see more in the not so distant future. Dann is a state government pioneer who is using World Lingo , an instant Web site translation program that is becoming increasingly popular.

Cincinnati, too, has stepped into the global village. The city's Web site can be switched to French, German, Spanish, simplified Chinese, Korean, Russian and Japanese.

The move opens a door to visitors in far off places. And it probably is good for business. Take a look at the Cincy portal in RUSSIAN.