General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: No Choice: Why Harry Truman Dropped the Atomic Bomb on Japan [View all]genxlib
(5,524 posts)However, three days is not a lot of time when it comes to something like that.
I did a paper on it when I was in college. It was piss-pour undergraduate crap but I do remember some of the research.
If I recall correctly, the Japanese were intending to surrender. However, they reached out to the Soviets to act as neutral party. Instead the Soviets declared war on August 8. The gig was up and Japan was going to surrender but the second bomb dropped on the 9th.
In much of the research I read, there was the implication that the US was already afraid of the rising power of the USSR. They were anxious to end the war quickly to cut off the Soviets from staking a claim. I came away feeling that the rush to end the war was an attempt to keep the Soviets in check. Otherwise, they could have waited a little longer to allow the Japanese to react.
It is hard for me to criticize the people that made that decision. Once you get to a point of weighing the pros and cons of the least worst option that will still kill a lot of people, it becomes an impossible choice.