In article , says...


ArtKramr wrote:

To have had the ability to end the war and not having done so, would have been
the greatest war crime of all.

I had the impression that thoughts along those lines were considered in
the administration. While the US had a good notion that the Japanese
surrender was only a matter of time, how much time was still in the air,
even with the Soviet declaration of war. The invasion of the home
islands were only a contingency, and really worse case planers might
have had the idea of a huge force close by, not so much to
invade/conqure the Japanese as much as to deter Soviet intrusion. But as
to the atomics, to have them and not use them, with the presumption that
they would bring the war to a quick end, would have the public demanding
for the heads of responsible leaders for every soldier killed beyond the
deployable date.


Every day the war was going on was costing lives. The loses in the
Pacific were comparable to the losses in Europe.

Overall about 15 million died.

Everyday the war was going on was costing 10,000 a day.

If the Japanese lasted another month that means the death toll would
have been 300,000 more even if the US did not invade.





--
France, Germany and Russia made huge profits by keeping Saddam in power;
now they are upset that some other countries businesses will benefit now
he is gone.

28th observation of Bernard