Years ago, I read the book “The decision to use the atomic bomb and the architecture of an American myth”, by Gar Alperovitz, (Knopf,  1995).

Basically, what I was looking for was found right in the Intro– that the massacre of Hiroshima’s people had nothing to do with a supposedly intransigent Imperial Japan, let alone Nagasaki’s. I kept on reading, at least 50 pages. It was confirmation after confirmation. It was written by a State Dept (IIRC) insider — insider of the government definitly. And he clearly is aiming the book at the MOR Americans who’d have trouble believing in anything less than perfect about The Land of the Free (TM). It is just confirmation after confirmation to assure the naive public that the Reality (TM) they’ve known and loved is not what it seemed.

I recall giggling at all the overtures the Japanese were making for a defeat. There was even a quote from someone to the effect (and his finding humour in) that the Japanese were going out of their way to indirectly tell of their interest to anyone who’d listen — any foreign diplomat in Europe etc. They were trying desperately to make peace–not unlike Iranians’ overtures, and outright assistance, to Americans after 9/11.

As I noted to myself, anyone already-critical of US policies, would find his/her answer in the first pages. _I_ made it thru at least 50+ pages before I got tired of reading proof after proof.

Of note was the recollection I have of Truman in the latter days of his life, talking to anyone — even strangers in a bar — about how justified the whole thing was. Out of the blue, he’d bring it up and justify it. This was near the end of the book; I’d jumped ahead, sifting thru the rest of the book.