With peace so imminent, Forrestal and Stimson once more tried to persuade President Truman to cease all air and naval action against Japan as a humane gesture. Truman would not hear of it. Pressure, he said, should be maintained so the Japanese wouldn’t be encouraged to request further concessions. He did promise to suspend further atomic missions unless Tokyo’s reply was unsatisfactory. Two more atomic bombs were ready on Tinian, and drops were tentatively scheduled for August 13 and 16. General Spaatz acknowledged that battered Tokyo was too poor a target for a conventional bombing, and he
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