for me, there has always been an irony to the dropping of the bombs: when the bombs were dropped, Japan was at its weakest in perhaps 50 years. Their ability to wage war had been all but demolished, their navy decimated, they had no access to the resources they needed (which prompted their expansion to begin with) to wage offensive warfare. Now one has to ask, given this, was an invasion even needed? did anyone ever consider a blockade? Japan was in no position to cause trouble in the pacific and interfere with western trade interests (the origins of the pacific war). Was not the war won in all practical purposes?

I think the motivation to drop the bomb had to lie with fear of Soviet expansion and other post war interests. "The boys will all die" was the easiest argument to sell to the American public.

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