Steven_R
Tommy Vercetti Fan Club
- Jul 17, 2013
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And the same applied to Stalin's view of Japan, a potential impediment to the East. After meeting with Stalin in Moscow on May 28, 1945, Harry Hopkins told Truman that Stalin "prefers to go through with unconditional surrender" regarding Japan. "However, he feels that if we stick to unconditional surrender the Japs will not give up and we will have to destroy them as we did Germany."
Sherwood, "Hopkins," volume 2, 892-893.
That date was smack dab in the middle of the Battle of Okinawa. The Japanese inflicted 50,000 allied causalities in that battle alone, and fought almost to the last man. The previous battle was Iwo Jima where the Japs inflicted 25,000 Us casualties and did fight to the last man. There was no indication the Japanese were going discuss any surrender and were instead arming the civilian population to fight to the last man, woman, and child. Some of the military tried to throw a coup when the Emperor announced his decision on August 10 to end the war.
You don't think that maybe fighting that kind of enemy might have been a factor in Truman's decision making process?