Since backing off the war completely wasn&#x27;t a realistic option, they basically had a choice between nuking Japan until it surrenders, or prolonging the war on land and sea, and the latter was estimated to take much more lives on both sides.<p>I&#x27;m not saying that the US chose to go with the first option out of altruistic reasons, but dropping the atomic bombs wasn&#x27;t an atrocity compared with the usual firebombing, <i>and</i> saved a lot of lives that would be lost if the war continued.