Should the nuclear bombing of japan in WW2 be considered a war crime?

I know that america likes to style herself as the "good guy" but how is the death of tens of thousands of civilians and hundreds of thousands including radiation poisoning anything but a war crime?

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Tuscan · 70-79, M

Japan was on the point of surrendering when the bomb was dropped, the main purpose of bombing Nagasaki and Hiroshima was to demonstrate to Russia that the US had a viable atomic weapon.

Neoerectus · M

@Tuscan Actually, even after the first, the leadership felt they could persevere. They counted on massive American casualties in a land invasion. The thought we would not have another bomb for months. They also knew we teetered on bankruptcy from the war.

Tuscan · 70-79, M

I am inclined to accept that your information is closer to the truth than my own. My source was a secondary school history teacher who was a committed member of CND. (I was a member of CND myself at the time and was naiive enough to believe that school teachers were unbiasedin their dissemination of information).