Reply #33: Oh that reason has entered official explanations [View All]

[nadinbrzezinski]

At least at the college level

When I took my course work in WW II

We went thought the bombing.

There were several reasons given for it, not in order of importance

1.- The reticnense of the War Council that sill was tied up on surrender even after Nagasaki, the Emperor broke the tie

2.- Expected casaulty numbers in Operation Olympic

3.- The Russian threat to the Western Pacific.

Those were the chief reasons... the first two are usually emphasized in lower levels of historical training since they are easier to comprehend, but the thrid one, in my mind is the most important reason for the bombing, with number one a very close second. It was a signal, to both Moscow and Tokyo.

To Moscow, well keep going you're next. and to Tokyo... we will use this even more times, surrender now. (And a third device would have been ready by the 18th, and things got a little tense along the Kurile Islands, by the way)

I might add at no time in the discusion was the quetion of morality even considered, all this is seen by the pros in a purely strategic question.