If you haven't already read it, please pick up John Hersey's "Hiroshima".

You might consider it.

I am not an advocate of targeting civilian populations, but it was common in WWII (practiced by ALL sides).

It can be debated as to whether using the atomic bomb was the best course of action, but in that bloody war? Justification seems like an odd thing to focus on with what the world was facing. I do think that Germany and Japan had to be defeated at all costs. And I say that as someone whose mother was very nearly a victim of Allied bombs in Germany.

Are you pointing to Japan's war crimes to justify the bombs and thereby dismiss the humanity of those killed?

Or the humanity of the far larger number expected to die if the bomb wasn’t used?

The invasion was projected to cost dar more lives; both military and civilian.

The ongoing air raids against Japan we're already inflicting horrific civilian casualties. The March 9 Operation Meetinghouse firebombing killed 100,000; putting it on the same scale of one of the nuclear bombs in terms of civilian deaths.

Given Japan's unwillingness to surrender, there were no good options. The continued conventional air campaign and the invasion projected to cost more lives on both sides. It was a terrible choice, but the correct decision was made.

My opinion has always been that if the bomb has been available 6-12 months sooner, or the war lasted 6-12 months longer, then Berlin would have been the first target. Those who now condemn the use of the bombs on Japan would not have said a thing about their use on Germany. Their attitude would have been that the dirty Fascists got what they deserved.

The Nazis were executing more people toward the end of the war in the concentration camps because they had perfected the mechanical means of the Holocaust. How many Jews, Poles, Gypsies, homosexuals and others might have been saved if the war in Europe had ended 6-12 months sooner?

Those scientists who worked on the bomb (many of the Jewish refugees from Hitler) did not seem to develop scruples until it was clear that Germany would no longer be the target. They knew for a fact that Berlin, and its civilians would certainly be the main target. They certainly didn’t have any concerns about German civilians being killed.

And for those who cry moral outrage I see no difference between the fire-bombing of Dresden, Tokyo and other Japanese cities and the atomic bombings. Dead is dead.

The Japanese were just as bad as the Nazis. But too many people weep tears for the “victims" of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as if the Japanese did nothing to start the war in Asia. The Chinese suffered between 20-35 million casualties during the Japanese invasion of China (1937-1945). The Japanese forced Korean women into sexual slavery as “comfort women” in field brothels where the women were forced to sexually service, as many as 70 Japanese soldiers a day. In other words these women were raped 70 times a day for years on end. Everywhere the Japanese conquered, they acted like barbarians toward Allied POWS and civilians. The Japanese beat, starved, tortured and executed men and women. They used living human beings as living test subjects in their infamous biological warfare Unit 731.

People these days find it easy to take some moral high-ground when they are not involved in a war to the knife for the future of civilization. Hindsight is easy.

If Truman had not used the bomb out of moral scruples, and Operation Downfall had gone ahead, then America would have suffered terrible casualties. The truth about the bomb would have come out. And I think Truman would have been impeached.

And millions would died of starvation if we imposed a naval blockade, without invasion.

Nearly all those involved in dropping the bomb have died.

The times themselves were far different, people were justifiably scared to death of what would have happened had we invaded the main Japanese islands.

Even little kids were being trained to kill in suicidal attacks.

The bomb itself was looked at mostly as just a new bomb that had a bigger boom.

real truth of nukes and the destruction they cause. If trump were to use one, it wouldn't be forgotten next week, it would be remembered for 75 years also.

against the Japanese.

I used to post every year but sunk like a rock and no replies. Important story.

humans will do to other humans. A counter to that are the thousands of origami cranes that Japanese school children still fold and place in the city's Memorial Peace Park. Link to story about the cranes ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadako_Sasaki