The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are imo one of the most ethically/morally challenging situations ever. I don't think it's terrorism for a few reasons: 1

The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are imo one of the most ethically/morally challenging situations ever. I don't think it's terrorism for a few reasons: 1. America took steps to minimize causalities [0] - America dropped pamphlets and warnings prior the attack (although the warnings were dire, they didn't explain exactly how terrible the bombs would be) 2. America didn't exclusively target civilians or the softest targets, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were chosen for their industrial significance and proximity to airbases. 3. America made an attempt to avert the bombing - they told Japan that something terrible would happen if there wasn't unconditional surrender (Japan was okay with conditional surrender but America wasn't). That's probably near enough a threat but also these were warring States so it's different than a street dust-up. 4. America made the utilitarian decision to drop the bomb after considering the alternatives - the reality is that an invasion of Japan would have been more bloody for the Japanese and the Americans. Fun fact: the military commissioned 1 million purple heart medals as preparation for the invasion of Japan [1] 5. I'd say that terrorists have utopian ideologies and they use the goal to sanitize the means. America didn't have any delusions that they'd drop the bomb and then there'd be paradise, they knew it'd be much closer to hell on earth. I don't think the bombing was defensible, and I'm so incredibly legalistic that I would have preferred that America used the bomb but that America would then have sentenced the aircrews and their commanders to death after a trial at nuremburg. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were crimes against humanity and if we use the nuremburg formulations, they're indefensible and call for capital punishment. The bombs were critical and effective but indefensible and humanity should wipe the names of the bombers and their military chain of command from the history books (probably including Truman). [0]: https://www.damninteresting.com/retired/ww2-america-warned-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-citizens/ https://www.damninteresting.com/retired/ww2-america-warned-h... [1]: https://www.stripes.com/blogs-archive/the-rumor-doctor/the-rumor-doctor-1.104348/are-purple-hearts-from-1945-still-being-awarded-1.116756#.WcF2dbKGNhE https://www.stripes.com/blogs-archive/the-rumor-doctor/the-r...