MALCOLM Pittock's regular rants about war are a familiar feature of your Letters column, but his contribution on August 12 really takes the biscuit.

In it he accuses Elsie King, in her earlier letter, of resorting to myth to suit her arguments. In the very next sentence he then introduces the preposterous idea that President Truman protracted the war against Japan so that he would be able to use atomic weapons and thus frighten the Russians.

This is a ridiculous idea compared with the real situation, which I remember from 1945. By 1945, the Japanese were in real trouble militarily, but were unwilling to recognise that this was so and their military caste was never going to consider surrender.

At that time the American navy was suffering large casualties from suicide bomber attacks on their capital ships, and their army and marines were meeting strong resistance in Okinawa, which they eventually captured in July. Hiroshima took place on August 6.

At what point is President Truman supposed to have deliberately, and for his own evil reasons, caused the delay? Two or three days in early August perhaps? The suggestion is clearly absurd.

Cyril Williams

Oakfield Close

Horwich