nJune 17
nMcCloy tells
Stimson that “there were no more cities to bomb, no more
carriers to sink or battleships to shell; we had difficulty
finding targets.”
nJune 18
nAdmiral Leahy
makes diary entry noting, “It is my opinion at the present
time that a surrender of Japan can be arranged with terms that can
be accepted by Japan and that will make fully
satisfactory provision for America’s defense against
future trans-Pacific aggression.” He also notes that General
Marshall believes that an invasion of Kyushu, the southern-most
Japanese island, “will not cost us in casualties
more than 63,000 of the 190,000 combatant troops estimated as
necessary for the operation.” This may be compared to later
estimates, after the atomic bombings, of 500,000 to 1,000,000
American lives saved.