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And you even admit the existence of the die-hard military faction. They were willing to kidnap the emperor to enforce their demands - and almost succeeded but he had already left the radio station where the surrender announcement was recorded.

Sorry, my father in law was not only personally present and a witness to the events - your "anecdotal witness" - he was also a teacher (and high school principal) and a devoted student of history. His conclusions were drawn not only from his personal experience but from years of study and reflection. Because my undergraduate degree was in military history, we spent many hours discussing these issues and reading books together before his untimely death.

The supposed 'many' who saw an easy way out were conspicuous by their silence at the time. The cold (and cold-hearted) analysis from the safe haven of the freedoms that were bought with American blood is what is hopeless here. They did not have the knowledge we do -- they did not have the more refined weapons we do -- they did not have the time that we do.

No sympathy for those making the decision follows from any of it. Truman et al knew what they were doing and are morally responsible for their actions. They did not pursue every diplomatic avenue to avoid continued killing because their prestige was more important to them, and probably because it didn't occur to them that it mattered that much to the Japanese, and probably because they hated them as enemies and had not yet adopted the magnamity shown by MacArthur after the war, when he decided the emperor should stay. They wanted to break wills and thought that was the only way to peace. That is an easy thought but it is also easy to see that it is false.

Plenty of third parties saw the unconditional surrender demand as prolonging the war to little purpose. Few probably knew its important at the close of the war in Europe for keeping all the allies on the same page instead of bickering with one another or negotiating anything with the Germans, and it was useful in that context. It was superfluous with Japan.