I think inventing the atomic bomb was a net positive. Firstly, ~ 5 million more Japanese people (and ~ 1 million Westerners) would die if their war with the US proceeded along conventional lines. As it was, I think about 500,000 died from the atomic bombs, future side-effects included, and that's how many Japanese died prior to the atomic bombs being thrown, just by conventional bombings. The reason the war in Europe was so deadly, was because the Europeans were inefficient fighting it. Atomic bombs are efficient. In Russia and Ukraine right now we're counting ~ 1 million casualties, and if Ukraine never gave up its nuclear arsenal, the number would be close to zero.
Secondly, if the US had not made them first, someone else would.
Thirdly, if the US had developed them first but had not used them, I think there would still always be a "first time atomic bombs were used", and it's probably better that the first time was in Japan, rather than, say, the Cold War.
I hope some of my readers find this collection of quotes useful in the same way.
Yes, the juxtaposition is very useful!
RE: Words Matter