[redgolum]

The selection of Nagasaki as the second target for the atom bomb is an odd one. The geography of the place does not lend itself to be a good target (most of the blast was reflected upward by the mountains and not outward like Hiroshima). But it was intentionally spared conventional bombardment for that reason.

There are a lot of theories, but few good answers.

[ArrogantBustard]

Nagasaki was the secondary target on 09AUG45; Kokura was the primary. It was clouded out, and they went to Nagasaki because fuel was running low.

[VOA]

There are a lot of theories, but few good answers.

For all of our home-grown atheists/agnostics and world-wide Islamicists
that gripe-and-moan that the USA is always really engaged in
some sort of "crusade" run by a bunch of fundamentalist and/or
evangelical Christian extremists...
I would point them to the dropping of the second atomic bomb.

AFAIK, the American military crossed off Kobe, because it is/was
the cultural/spiritual capital of Japan, then after working their
way down the list of some alternative targets (some obscured by
weather on the bombing day?)...
the USA smoked the city in Japan with the most significant Christian
population.

I'm not bashing the US military or drinking the Smithsonian
Atomic Bomb Revisionism Tea...but the atomic bombing of Nagasaki just
showed that in time of war, the USA is an equal-opportunity force
that will smoke any opposing force if necessary and practible.
Regardless of race, color, creed or sexual orientation.

(OK, I included "sexual orientation" to jest about today's
"zero tolerance for offense" environment")