'And atomic weapons don't settle anything. 'The whole World War II experience shows that wars don't settle anything,' he said. Most of the lives saved were Japanese'.īut his exploits also made him wary of war. Our mission was to end the Second World War, simple as that.' He believed the bombings were necessary because they eliminated the need for an Allied land invasion that could have cost more lives: 'I honestly believe the use of the atomic bomb saved lives in the long run. 'I have never apologised for what we did to Hiroshima and I never will.

'Do I regret what we did that day? No, sir, I do not,' Van Kirk said in 2010.