[RacerX]

Douglas MacArthur believed Japan was very close to surrender, and that argument is not without merit. He was not consulted, and was livid when the bombs were dropped. I agree. I believe Japan would have surrendered without the atomic bombs and before a catastrophic mainland invasion.

And of course, even the atomic bombs did not bring about a so-called "unconditional surrender."



"The Potsdam declaration in July, demanded that Japan surrender unconditionally or face 'prompt and utter destruction.' MacArthur was appalled. He knew that the Japanese would never renounce their emperor, and that without him an orderly transition to peace would be impossible anyhow, because his people would never submit to Allied occupation unless he ordered it. Ironically, when the surrender did come, it was conditional, and the condition was a continuation of the Imperial reign. Had the General's advice been followed, the resort to atomic weapons at Hiroshima and Nagasaki might have been unnecessary."

-- William Manchester, American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964, pg. 512.


Anyway, it has been too many years now to debate the use of atomic bombs in Japan. I hope instead of debating them, we can agree that they should never be used again.