Actually, it's offering alternative formulations of the definite. For instance, "The USSR declared war, and they surrendered immediately," and, "Even after we

Actually, it's offering alternative formulations of the definite. For instance, "The USSR declared war, and they surrendered immediately," and, "Even after we destroyed large proportions of the population and infrastructure of dozens of major cities, they still kept fighting." Also, "After hearing the news from Hiroshima (that a third of the population had been killed and two-thirds of the city destroyed) the Supreme Council considered meeting to discuss it but decided not to. The very next day, after learning that the Soviet Union had invaded Manchuria, the Supreme Council met and began discussing unconditional surrender." Any formulation that takes a few isolated facts and makes a narrative out of them is an oversimplification, of course. For example, the Japanese leadership was initially deadlocked on accepting unconditional surrender, and by the time the final decision was made, news of Nagasaki had reached them and could have been the deciding factor. They were considering the totality of their situation, so every factor came into play.