Diamond Jim wrote:

Construction on the Midways was started during WWII but it was not rushed.
When they were ordered it was realized that they would not be required
during the War, so they were planned from the beginning to combine the best
features of the carriers used during the war. A kind of "lessons learned
carrier. ...

According to Friedman:

"Four large carriers were, therefore, included in a Maximum War Effort
shipbuilding program. President Roosevelt approved the program, with
the exception of the four carriers, on 12 August 1942. On 8 October,
after pressure from Admiral King and the General Board, he agreed to
the large carriers, but only if the General Board could certify 'that
the program for the immediate construction of smaller carriers is
adequate for the next two years' and 'that greater speed can be made in
the construction of these 45,000 ton carriers than is indicated in the
report of the General Board of September 11th.'"

Friedman covers the approval and building process in great detail. I
can not locate any reference that it was realized the Midway-class
would not be required during the war.

Had Truman decided not to drop the bomb, or if it hadn't worked
correctly at first, etc, etc.

Friedman even mentions: "In 1940, when the Midway design began, ..."

Are there references which indicate that the Midway-class wasn't rushed
and that it wasn't expected to be operational before the war would end?

MW