As long as we're talking about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it's worth pointing out that humanity's experience with the insidious effects of nuclear radiation had no

As long as we're talking about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it's worth pointing out that humanity's experience with the insidious effects of nuclear radiation had not yet been formed -- they began that day -- and that leaves the trade-off of "frying people with nukes" versus "shooting and/or exploding with regular bombs" look a lot more humane. (In either case assuming peace is not yet secured, obviously.) Or we could light their cities on fire with bat bombs. War is hell.