>The fact remains that Japan had refused surrender, which
>meant either the bomb or a full-scale invasion of Japan and
>continued battles in other places

There is one small, yet extremely sig-
nificant detail you've ommitted: the
REASON for Japan's refusal to surrender.
The Japanese believed their emporer to
be a god -- LITERALLY. As a result of
this belief, they were unwilling to
accept a U.S. imposed "unconditional"
surrender.

Those who claim that Japan did not want
to seek an end to the war are liars and
deceivers of the worst kind. The Japanese
government had been pursuing Soviet media-
tion to end the war in response to the Em-
peror's request of June 22, 1945, a fact
often overlooked today. (Butow, pg. 118-120,
130). The terms proposed by Japan were the
retention of the emperor to his thrown.

On July 2, 1945, Sec. of War Henry Stimson
and Truman discussed a proposal by Stimson
to call for Japan to surrender. Stimson's
memo to the President advised, "I personally
think that if in saying this we should add
that we do not exclude aconstitutional mon-
archy under her present dynasty, it would
substantially add to the chances of accept-
ance". Stimson's proposed surrender demand
stated that the reformed Japanese government
"may include a constitutional monarchy under
the present dynasty" (U.S. Dept. of State,
Potsdam 1, pg. 889-894).