August 9, 2010

Today is the 65th anniversary of the most successful arms control pact in world History.

[Purists may argue that the way Rome handled Carthage was just as far reaching but, as time goes by, memories fade. It is but one more reason to be thankful to the Romans. The coined the phrase “Cartago delenda est”. How easy it would be to update it to “Mecca delenda est”. It has been 24 centuries since Carthage posed a problem for its neighbors. We can still learn from the ancients.]

The negotiations began unexpectedly early one Sunday morning over the skies of Pearl Harbor. Alas for the Japanese two American Ambassadors without portfolio were out of town when their counterparts presented their credentials. Their names were the USS Yorktown and the USS Enterprise.

The negotiations took 45 months. As is always the case there were many ups and downs. If the 5 minutes at Midway had gone the other way, if the American Navy had not turned the tide at Leyte Gulf…quien sabe?

The Japanese soldiers shouted Banzai as they went to their deaths. Banzai to Allah Akbar is not that wide a gap to bridge. History must be our guide. Tours, Lepanto, Omdurman, Iwo Jima, Okinawa. It’s a straight line.

Negotiations were concluded on September 2, 1945 when the United States Navy, that day the mightiest naval force ever assembled, sailed into Tokyo harbor. Admiral Nimitz completed the assignment given to him by President Roosevelt just after Pearl Harbor. “Don’t come back until it’s over.” The documents of surrender were signed. General MacArthur said, “These proceedings are closed”. 500 American Naval aviators overflew the USS Missouri. Indeed, the proceedings were closed.

On August 6, 1945 the United States pushed a large black chip to the center of the table. One plane, one bomb, one city. Getting no response the United States pushed another black chip to the center of the table on August 9th. One plane, one bomb, one city.

The saying “nolo tangere cum impecunis”, having been proved to be still valid, has given the world a bonus. Nuclear weapons are everywhere but they have never been used in war. It may end this year but we have had 65 years of Pax Atomica for which we must say

Deo Gratias


Kevin Smith