We're at war with Japan. We were attacked by Japan. Do you want to kill Japanese, or would you rather have Americans killed?
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- War forces a choice between enemy deaths and friendly casualties.
- In plain terms
- You choose to fight enemies or risk your own people dying.
- What can you take from it?
- War is often framed as a choice between two harms.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Can war ever be truly justified this way?
- Is this a false dichotomy?
Another view
It oversimplifies complex geopolitical causes of war.
More from Curtis LeMay
If I see that the Russians are amassing their planes for an attack, I'm going to knock the shit out of them before they take off the ground.
Permalink to quote #5 I think there are many times when it would be most efficient to use nuclear weapons. However, the public opinion in this country and throughout the world throw…
Permalink to quote #7 Killing Japanese didn't bother me very much at that time... I suppose if I had lost the war, I would have been tried as a war criminal.... Every soldier thinks…
Permalink to quote #4
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