So I've heard arguments for and against Truman using atomic weaponry on Japan. On the for side I've heard that the alternative was a long and bloody land war that would've have devastated Japan on a national scale, and against I've heard it was to intimidate the Soviets. Which side has the stronger argument?
Hopefully he drops by this thread himself, but our very own /u/restricteddata recently answered this question at some length in this recent blog post.
/u/restricteddata also did a podcast episode a while back in which he discusses Truman's input. he also talks about truman in some of the responses in the thread. but listen to the podcast, it is very interesting!