I thought of the U.S. getting to nukes first as a possible counter example, but I discounted it for the reason you provided (not that many and questions about decisiveness) and the fact that only four years passed between the U.S. dropping the bombs and the Soviet Union successfully developing their own bomb.
Also, nuclear weapons are the kind of weapon that has significant blowback considerations (e.g., radiation blowing into Europe or climate risks for something as big as taking out the full USSR—though that would not have been feasible in that period).
I thought of the U.S. getting to nukes first as a possible counter example, but I discounted it for the reason you provided (not that many and questions about decisiveness) and the fact that only four years passed between the U.S. dropping the bombs and the Soviet Union successfully developing their own bomb.
Also, nuclear weapons are the kind of weapon that has significant blowback considerations (e.g., radiation blowing into Europe or climate risks for something as big as taking out the full USSR—though that would not have been feasible in that period).