Should Harry Truman have chosen the drawn-out alternative on the high seas rather than the quick, decisive, atomic end to World War II? As a saltwater guy, I probably would have clamped down the blockade and waited out Tokyo. But huddle up with TR, Clausewitz, and Wylie—and then you be the judge.

James Holmes is Professor of Strategy at the Naval War College. The views voiced here are his alone.

This article first appeared in August 2015.

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