I’ve heard the claim before that had the US allowed the Japanese to keep their Emperor as part of a compromise, then Japan would’ve surrendered without having to use the a-bomb. Allegedly, though, the Truman administration was so deadset on complete surrender (forgot the correct term, sorry) that he denied the opportunity. Can anyone debunk this? Was that scenario even plausible in the slightest?
The term you’re looking for is “unconditional” surrender, which is not quite the deal the Japanese got, as the Emperor sits today.
He’s not quite as divine as he once was, though.
I personally think the A-Bomb was crucial to the mechanics of their decision to surrender.
Ahem.
there is a pretty lenghty thread about this in GD right now that explains this, and many other issues.
However, it is a GD.
Forewarned is forearmed, and all that.