If war broke out tomorrow....

[Weltall]

Okay. Let's say we didn't bomb them. Let's say we decided a war of attrition was the best course. It might, in the long run, result in a lower civvie casualty total, though it is quite likely that it would not, also. It would certainly result in greater American casualties, some speculate that number exponential to what they were. The last, and most potentially devastating factor to consider is that Japanese scientists were hard at work on their own A-Bomb, and it would be stupid to allow them more time to develop it, especially since at the time, we knew they were working on it, but we had no idea how far along they were. And they undoubtedly would have used it on us if given the chance.

And, perhaps it's the realist in me, but the lives of my fellow countrymen mean more to me than the civilians of a mortal enemy, one that obviously did not give a damn about civilians themselves. Before you damn America for doing something that most likely saved many more lives than ended, consider what Japan would do if they were in America's position in 1945. They'd have built as many A-Bombs as possible and nuke us as far back to the Stone Age as they could, for theirs was a culture that did not believe in surrender, for themselves or from their enemy. They wouldn't care that you hate the country you live in, that you live there damns you.