Originally Posted by Speedyer

I don't know, that's a tough question, and I'm not an expert on WWII weaponry nor would I know how to answer that question. The deadliest to who? Non-combatants? Anyway what I do know is that more people probably died during the firebombing raids then both bombs combined, and yet the bomb is perceived to have been the greater evil. Of course how exactly do you do that, measure death? Not an exactly perfect solution, death is death is death no matter what the weapon or who the murder.

Where those who died by the atomic bomb more worthy of life than the massive amounts of the Chinese the Japanese killed? Or any of the other countless civilians killed by both sides during WWII? All I can really do to answer is quote Sherman, "War is Hell".

While interesting, and entirely plausible, there is no real proof that the Japanese were close enough to be a threat. All we really know is that they did have a nuclear weapons program. The problem is the dependence upon Germany for enriched uranium makes it doubtful that they got very far (I mean if Germany didn't have a working bomb, why is it likely Japan did?). Even if they had had a bomb, the worst they could of done would have been to sink some US ships though you can be absolutely sure they would of used it on our soil if they had the chance.