I agree with Skybird that Roosevelt was itching to provoke something with Japan so that his hand would no longer be tied by the isolationists. I think that he figured the Japanese would eventually attack one of our assets closer to Japan or the Dutch east indies. I doubt he wasn't shocked when Pearl Harbor was attacked, and so effectively at that.
He was already prodding congress to act in speeches given about coming to England's cause. And he admitted in his memoirs to misleading the American people for their own good.
And as far as nuking Japan. It happened for several reasons.
1. As a show piece to make Stalin think twice, Since he was saber rattling already both in the east and the west and pushing for more land grabs.
2. To see the effects of our new super weapon. It was tested on cities that had thus far escaped major damage in the war.
America knew that Japan was about to throw in the towel and had approached Russia about a diplomatic end. The only stipulation was that they kept their emperor. We bombed them and let them keep their emperor anyways.
Politicians are always more devious than the Generals in the field.
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