The only "unacceptable" condition that was left at that point remained keeping the emperor, which Truman finally agreed to after Nagasaki....despite his earlier refusal to accept this condition. I can't understand why so many here are willing to accept the INTENTIONAL use of terror (e.g. killing of thousands of innnocents including babies in the crib) as a legitimate method of war. We prosecuted people for war crimes who did a lot less.
Incorrect.
The terms they wanted after Hiroshima but before Nagasaki were:
(1) Retention of the existing Japanese political system including the Emperor.
(2) Any disarmament and demobilization operations to be conducted internally by the Japanese government.
(3) All POWs to be immediately returned, including accused war criminals - whom Japan would agree to try internally by Japanese law in Japanese courts.
(4) No US military presence in Japan, Korea or Taiwan, with Japan open to further negotiations on the status of Korea and Taiwan.
After Nagasaki, Japan agreed to occupation, international justice for war criminals, supervised disarmament, the liberation of Korea and Taiwan and the dissolution of most aspects of the Japanese political system except the Emperor.