I have not even approached the moral argument here. I'm just asserting actual historical fact. I have no issue with the museums statement. It's just factual. The facts are that Japan was asked to surrender and refused. First bomb was dropped, surrender was still refused
It seems important to you that we divorce morality from the issue of deploying nuclear bombs, when I think morality is the only thing that matters in this case. Whether your "fact" is true or not, despite debate continuing to this day, the end result is the same -
the use of nuclear weapons was calculated, they deliberately did not offer any warnings to civilians, they targeted Japan because Asians were already so othered and demonized in the West that they knew it would be palatable to watch them die.
I think in order to have a moral discussion of any value, it needs to be based on facts. So let's go through it. 1. Dontiz issued a German surrender on the 8th of May, 1945. This ended the War in Europe 2. Trinity test happened on July 16th. There was no operational bomb before this point
3. July 26th, Postdam Declaration was issued. Factions in the Japanese government officials were divided about how to respond. 4 of 6 members of the Supreme Council for the Direction of the War were opposed to accepting it 4. July 28th, PM Suzuki issues the mokusatsu statement, which US read as
a rejection. 5. August 6th, Hiroshima is bombed. 6. Members of the Cabinet wishing to end the war attempt to argue the Hiroshima bombing is a sufficient justification to accept surrender. The Army remains opposed 7. August 9th. 4AM. Japan learns USSR has declared war
8. August 9th, PM Suzuki decides the war must end immediately and speaks to the Emperor at 8:00 AM. The Emperor agrees to accept Surrender on the basis of Potsdam. 9. August 9th 9:44AM. Nagasaki is bombed 10. Word of Nagasaki reaches the Supreme Council for the Direction of the War in the middle
of a discussion to end the war. At the end of the meeting, the ministers are tied 3-3 11. The full cabinet meets later that day multiple times, and there is no consensus 12. The Emperor decides to agree to Potsdam and the cabinet and war ministers accept this. But there is fear of a coup from
the elements of the military that refuse to accept defeat. I think the best that can be said for Japan's government here is that some wanted the war to end at any cost, some wanted the war to end but were unwilling to surrender, and some wanted to keep fighting. But there was no consensus in favor
of accepting Postdam until late on August 9th.