A 'necessary' war

I was disappointed with Colman McCarthy's opinion piece on Ken Burns' documentary "The War" (NCR, Oct. 26). While I do not share Mr. McCarthy's antiwar position, I have generally found in his articles at least an attempt to understand the other side. I have found him passionate but balanced. Not so with this article.

Just because Mr. Burns believes that World War II was "necessary" does not mean that he, or any of the rest of us who believe the same, think that all actions taken were either necessary or moral. Many of us who believe the war was just do not necessarily believe in the necessity of the firebombings and the use of atomic weapons.

He criticizes the fact that the story of the 6,000 imprisoned conscientious objectors was not included. Those 6,000 compare to approximately 400,000 who were killed. He does not mention the hundreds of other stories left out. Mr. Burns had only 15 hours to tell the story of probably the most global action of any kind since the creation of our planet. In addition, to seriously think that "a 10-year or 20-year period of resistance," no matter what it included, would have defeated the Axis powers is folly. Had we chosen that course, we would most likely now be counting up nearly 75 years of the new Dark Ages, of tyranny, holocausts and exterminations more heinous than we can imagine. Think how many more would have died in the German extermination camps in another five or 10 years.

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