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Originally Posted by Crispy's Critter
I was clarifying where I got the info as you were replying. The book did also mention what you stated here, as well as some other plans the Japanese had, but stated that they were purposely allowing many things to be intercepted in order to confuse the Americans. It was probably a bit of revisionist history.
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It doesn't matter if the Japaneses knew whether their communications were compromised or not, those messages signaled an ugly aspect to a American nation that was tired of the war at this point.
The Japanese had no intention of surrender
The American's had visions of GI's chucking grenades and using flame throwers on every house to dislodge a determined and fanatical enemy that had shown suicidal resolve during the war.
The american's had calculated at one point that a seabourne invasion of the home islands would cost them in excess of 140,000 U.S. casualties (If I remember my sources right) and millions of Japanese troops and civilians and the pacification of the Japanese Islands would take a decade and leave next to no infrastructure.
It was hoped that the Japanese would surrender after the first bomb was dropped, that way they could stop the war, the Russians would have to stop and the American's would have one working bomb to hold against the Soviets. They were surprised that the Japanese didn't surrender and used thier reserve bomb.
The biggest crime was the Japanese government and militaries blatent lack of respect for the lives of their own civilians.