I think that telling the truth is always the way to go because if one doesn’t, and the person finds out later, it will hurt far more than if the truth had been told at the start. I once knew someone who was very sensitive of other people’s feelings. This person made a difficult decision in regards to me, and when the time came for the person to tell me, the person explained the reasoning exactly opposite what it really was to keep my feelings from being hurt. Well, the person succeeded- at first. When I later found out that the reasoning was completely contrary to what I was told, it pained me far more than it would have if the person had told me the truth at the beginning.
So telling the truth can be very painful. Sometimes, there is no alternative way of putting it, making bluntness the only option besides lying. It can be very hard to say it, but one should realize the repercussions of sugar coating something only for the person to learn the truth later. In terms of war, sugar coating is like protecting a soldier from a bullet only for the soldier to be hit by a grenade later. Sure, the reactions of being brutally honest can be painful for both the speaker and listener, but if one hides things at the start, not only is someone setting him or herself up for worse pain later, but also lowering him or herself to being a liar. So I think it comes down to, in some cases, pain at the start, or worse pain that is delayed. If people get mad at someone, know that they would be even madder if that person were to lie and they come to learn of it later.