‘US government documents admit that the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was not necessary to end WWII. Japan was on the verge of surrendering. The nuclear attack was the first strike in Washington's Cold War on the Soviet Union. Ben Norton reviews the historical record.’
the US refused to accept the terms, which were that the emperor would be allowed to live. they subsequently accepted the same terms after the bombs were dropped. US diplomatic cables suggest that the real reason the bombs were dropped were 1. to test their effectiveness and 2. to send a message to the Soviets.
they also attempted to surrender to the Soviets, desperately, once they realized the US was stalling them. the Soviets ignored their attempts to surrender because they wanted to remain on good terms with the US and the talks at Malta, to broker the new world order post WWII, had yet to happen.