[Lathdrinor]

Mumitroll, I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this issue. Our views towards the facts of World War II are not that different, and I think it comes down to a matter of interpretation. My view is that Truman and the Allied high-command did consider the various pros and cons of dropping the bombs on Japan, and came out on the side of the pros not merely out of malice, but out of concern for the geopolitical situation. Yes, I do agree that they were not looking to minimize Japanese casualties, necessarily, but I think they did believe that they would have to either conduct an invasion of Japan, bomb it to submission, or accept further Soviet expansion. Out of those choices, they chose the second one, because the first would've led to unacceptable losses, and the last would've led it to a victory for Communism.

So in that sense, yes, the Allies were quite brutal in this particular decision, and by today's standards, it was an atrocity. But overall, I think the Allies acted with greater moral restraint than their foes, and pursued a better ideology.