Not nonsensical at all, we did tell the Japanese, through diplomatic channels, that they could expect total and utter destruction if they did not surrender, We did not tell them we had a new type of weapon, it would have lessened the psychological impact and given them clues as to how to counter it or mitigate its effect. By the way, that is what a terror weapon is, one that shocks the enemy into helplessness. I'm not saying that it wasn't a terror weapon, considering that its development cost exceed the dollar value of the damage it inflicted, it was designed specifically as a terror weapon. Nonetheless, it worked. So it was worth every penny and every life.

As for the lack of targets, I never meant to say they had no military bases, just that they had hidden or dispersed their assets and kept moving them around. Germany and Russia also did this to avoid aerial superiority. There comes a point where it is counter productive to send out a fleet of bombers to hit an airfield that you don't know is occupied or even usable.

The real point is, could the war have been ended with less loss of American lives if the bombs had never been dropped? Even from my vantage point as Monday Morning Quarterback, I don't think so. From the point of view of President Truman, he obviously didn't think so either. It is presumptious of us to question those decisions that were made a half century ago from our comfortable position of omniscience.

There were other considerations, too. American troops being pulled out of Europe after V-E day were exhausted, They didn't want to be shipped off to a bloody campaign on the Japanese Islands and neither did their families. I'm sure military planners recognized the possibility of mutiny. The ferocity of Japanese defense in places like Iwo Jima and Saipan convinced our planners that there would be a million US casualties, more dead and wounded Americans than the rest of the war combined. We had a weapon that might put a stop to it, it would have been inconceivable to not use it. Today, knowing what I know, I would have no compunctions whatsoever about using it myself.

As it turns out, I think it could be fairly argued that Japanese lives were saved as well, in the long run. But you're right at the time, Japanese lives did not enter the calculation.