Q&A · 18:46-19:00

Would bad weather have spared Nagasaki?

Delaying the second atomic mission would not necessarily leave Nagasaki untouched because the speakers doubt Japan would yet accept Allied surrender terms.

Question

If bad weather delayed the second atomic mission, would Nagasaki have remained untouched?

Short answer

Probably not; the speakers think another atomic attack was still likely before Japan accepted the available surrender terms.

Notes

The answer is brief and explicitly counterfactual. It argues that Japan was unlikely to surrender on terms the Allies would accept without experiencing the further shock represented by a second atomic attack. Bad weather might therefore change timing or targeting without removing the pressure for another mission. The response offers a judgment about the surrender process rather than claiming that one city's fate was mechanically fixed.