If you want to talk about the realities of war then the reality is that Japan was losing the war before the bombs were dropped. As I stated above, the blockades were working, Japanese Navy rendered combat ineffective, and Japan was totally isolated. The realities of war are that the U.S. dropped the bombs knowing that there was no threat of retaliation from an already weakened nation.    Was it necessary to deliberately kill thousands of non-combatant civilians given the trend of the war?     THAT is why the issue will always be debatable.

Further - you and others who talk about people with first hand knowledge miss the fact that Thurlow has indisputable first hand knowledge - making her passion about this issue undeniable.    She has no agenda seeking reparations and any implication that she does reflects poorly on the person making the accusation.