Editor says, what if FDR had died two years earlier? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the December 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.

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Editor says, in reality FDR lived and replaced him with Truman on the 1944 ticket. Wallace himself didn't say if he would have dropped the bomb. He was briefed on it, and he was relieved that it worked. [1] this catchphrase was used in an article in the New Republic Magazine in which he criticized his successor, Harry S. Truman. He ran as the Progressive Party Candidate in 1948.

Stan Brin commented on 2012-11-18 06:15:21 ~ The so-called "Progressive Party" was a CPUSA front. He didn't realize it until much later, and apologized to everyone. At the time, there were only two bombs, one of each type. If the "demonstration" didn't work, and the first bomb, in effect, was the last one, and Japanese didn't surrender, then what? Henry Wallace was a decent man who revolutionized agriculture with his corn hybridization experiments. Millions owe their lives to him. BUT, as a president, he would have been a tool of Stalin -- until it was too late.

Eric Oppen commented on 2012-11-18 06:19:31 ~ Wallace was a good man, but fatally easy to lead around if one was Left-wing enough. He'd have been putty in Stalin's hands.

Jackie Rose commented on 2012-11-18 13:18:21 ~ Hirohito himself said that Japan had surrendered only because of "a most base bomb." Without it, the war might have gone on for years. And I remember my father saying that if the American fighting men had known that there was a weapon that would have ended the war, and it was not used, "They would have mutinied." And Wallace would have been impeached.

Eric Lipps commented on 2012-11-18 16:15:33 ~ "At the time, there were only two bombs, one of each type. If the "demonstration" didn't work, and the first bomb, in effect, was the last one, and Japanese didn't surrender, then what?" Then we'd have proceeded with plans for the invasion--and raced to build more bombs, now that we knew both types actually worked (only the implosion type was tested before use). We might, in fact, have had more before the invasion was well underway. Most of the work was already done, after all. And in fact Tuman threatened the Japanese with more bombs--indeed, went so far as to suggest he was willing to continue nuking Japan until the Japanese people were extinct. As for Hirohito's opinion, it doesn't really tell us how the Japanese would have responded to a demonstration--like everyone else, he could only guess at that after the fact. And a demonstration would certainly have qualified as use.

Chris Oakley commented on 2012-11-18 20:27:23 ~ What happens to Truman in this TL...

Jeff Provine commented on 2012-11-27 18:30:29 ~ Some comments by Hirohito was more concerned over the Soviet declaration of war than the bomb (depended on to whom he was speaking, apparently... nice political maneuvering). Stalin could've made out like a bandit and, without Mutally Assured Destruction, we could very well see WW3.