[engineer_22]

I don't think it's bullshit. I think Navy Admiral William F. Halsey did say those things.

"The first atomic bomb was an unnecessary experiment. . . . It was a mistake to ever drop it. . . . [the scientists] had this toy and they wanted to try it out, so they dropped it. . . . It killed a lot of Japs, but the Japs had put out a lot of peace feelers through Russia long before."[1]

Those are the facts... GP made nothing up.

OTOH - the Cold War should be ample evidence of the West's distrust of Stalin and USSR generally. I think it's entirely plausible the motivation to drop the bomb included Soviet deterrence.

[1] http://www.doug-long.com/ga1.htm

[TedDoesntTalk]

> [the scientists] had this toy and they wanted to try it out,

He may have said that, but after reading books on Oppenheimer and other scientists at the Manhatten Project, I don't believe it is accurate

[mezentius]

I made a post about this above, but the difference between a negotiated peace and an unconditional surrender is rather crucial. The Japanese were willing to seek the former but found the latter politically unacceptable until sufficient pressure was applied.

[diogenescynic]

The quote exists but doesn’t mean it’s correct.