Unpunished crimes against humanity #1

In keeping with the date and my recent Rush theme, a relevant quote from the band's 1985 song Manhattan Project off the album Power Windows:

The big bang took and shook the world
Shot down the rising sun
The end was begun and it hit everyone
When the chain reaction was done

The big shots tried to hold it back
Fools tried to wish it away
The hopeful depend on a world without end
Whatever the hopeless may say

So, today's unpunished crimes against humanity could actually count as #1 and #2, one being perpetrated 63 years ago today, and the other 63 years and 3 days ago. Of course, while there is debate, they have never been officially considered as crimes against humanity--despite being responsible for the #1 and #2 largest loss of lives in any single attack in the history of the world--because, well, history is written by the winners isn't it? As you might guess, I am speaking about the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nakasaki (Aug. 6 and 9, 1945, respectively). Yes, they led directly to a swift end of WWII, but does the ends justify the means? I certainly hope not, or we're all in a lot of trouble.

A few facts from the bombings:

Hiroshima

Atomic (fission) bomb--Little boy
Core: U235
Yield: 13 kT (13 kilotons TNT equivalent)
Detonated: 600m over Shima Surgical Clinic
Estimated killed instantly: 70,000
Estimated total killed in attack: 140,000
Radius of total destruction (i.e. everything destroyed in that area): 1.6 km

Nagasaki

Atomic (fission) bomb--Fat man
Core: P239
Yield: 21 kT (21 kilotons TNT equivalent)
Detonated: 439m above city
Estimated killed instantly: 40,000-75,000
Estimated total killed in attack: 80,000
Radius of total destruction (i.e. everything destroyed in that area): 1.6 km

As if the instant destruction of 2 cities and over 200,000 lives wasn't enough, the US government was readying a third bomb for the next week, with three more planned for September [ref:National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 162. The George Washington University (1945-08-13).]

For all these reasons and more, I think it's obvious that the nuclear bombings of Japan in WWII easily deserve the title of the most heinous unpunished crimes against humanity in recorded history.

see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki for much more detail, including references.