Was the Atomic Bomb necessary to end the Second World War?

It seems the debate about the dropping of the two atomic bombs on Japan began almost the day after the first bomb was dropped. In truth in began before that. Many of the scientist and physicists who had worked on the Manhattan Project had serious doubts about the use of the bomb on a civilian population and they had made their views known to the higher ups.

It's sad that the atomic bomb had to be used on innocent civilians but there wasn't really much of a choice. It was estimated that it would cost the United States forces that took part in the invasion of Japan more than half a million casualties just to establish a beach head on the southern most of the Japanese home islands. That's just American causalities. The Japanese had already proven themselves a maniacal foe in their residence to America's approach to their homeland. American military forces invading Japan was going to be the cause of a terrible blood letting on both sides. Millions would have died.

The development of the Atom Bomb had cost more than two billion dollars. Plus the cost to develop the aircraft able to deliver the atomic bomb(The Boeing B-29) cost another two billion dollars plus. Now if President Truman had chosen not to use the atomic bomb against Japan, and instead gone ahead with the invasion. Let's just say that I wouldn't have wanted to be in his shoes once the dust and blood all settled and the American people found out that he had available to him the means to maybe prevent these half a million young American Boys from dying.

Even after the bombing of Hiroshima the majority of the Minister's in the Japanese cabinet were opposed to ending the war by surrendering. It's augured by many and in my opinion it's a valid point that it wasn't so much the atomic bomb that forced the Japanese leaders to capitulate finally, but Russia's declaration of war on Aug.8th that forced them to see the hopelessness and futility of Japan's continuation of the war.

It's my opinion the the Atomic Bombing of Japan saved lives,both Japanese and American. Millions of Japanese were prepared to fight to the death to resist the invasion of their homeland,and hundreds of thousands of Americans would have died in the invasion of Japan. It was a lose lose situation pretty much. In the end Harry Truman did the right thing.