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Why did some Manhattan Project scientists suggest demonstrating the atomic bomb before using it on a city?

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Atomic bombing of Hiroshima — atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki A gigantic mushroom cloud rising above Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, after a U.S. aircraft dropped an atomic bomb on the city, immediately killing more than 70,000 people.

Some scientists involved in the Manhattan Project advocated for a demonstration of the atomic bomb on an uninhabited site in the Pacific rather than using it directly on a city. This proposal was intended to provide Japan with an opportunity to surrender before the weapon was deployed in a way that would cause mass casualties.123

However, this alternative was ultimately discarded by decision-makers for two primary reasons:
* Risk of failure: There was a significant concern that the demonstration bomb might prove to be a "dud," which would have undermined the perceived power of the weapon.23
* Effectiveness: Officials feared that a mere demonstration would not be sufficient to prompt a decisive reaction or surrender from the Japanese government.23

While a minority of scientists expressed dissent regarding the military use of the bomb, the majority of those involved in the project, along with civilian and military leadership, operated under the assumption that its use was the inevitable conclusion of the program.1