Primary Source OPVL Excercise

1. Source A: Captain Bob Stewart's presentation provided the class with a first-hand account of WWII, which he experienced as an American bomber pilot. The purpose of the presentation was to help inform students about WWII and to convey his views on the ethics and effectiveness of aerial bombing. Capt. Stewart spoke about the war from a very personal perspective, which naturally has a number of strengths and weaknesses. The fact that he experienced the war himself gives him a large amount of credibility on the topic, at least when he was discussing the part of the war he was involved in. He was also able to share very specific stories and examples of things that happened, while people who simply did research on the war after it happened likely know only general stories. However, Capt. Stewart's personal account may also be limited for several reasons. The events he spoke about took place a very long time ago, so his memory of some events may not have been completely accurate. In addition to this, his views and claims about the war as a whole, outside of the topic of aerial bombing, may be debatable as he was not directly involved with them. Capt. Stewart also had a clear anti-war mentality and strongly believed that aerial bombing was not particularly effective, and that the use of the atomic bomb was unnecessary.
2. Source B: The Fog of War is a documentary film which portrays the thoughts of Robert Mcnamara, who was the United States Secretary of Defense during World War II. This film, produced in 2003, was meant to inform people about the practices of war and to convey Mcnamara's views on war. Mcnamara's role in the war brings with it certain values and limitations. One value is the fact that he was a very important figure during World War II, and as such he knows much about the strategies and practices that were developed and used during World War II. He also has credibility when he discusses his knowledge of the statistics of the war, such as the results that were shown of the firebombing of Japan. Another area he is likely to know about is the people involved the leadership of the various countries involved in the war, as he was one of them himself. One limitation may be that, because Mcnamara was not directly involved the fighting the war, he may have only a general idea of what the process of aerial bombing was actually like. World War II seems to have also had an emotional effect on Mcnamara, making him very anti-war. This may have altered his views on the effectiveness of aerial bombing.