The enola gay ww2
On the one hand, it successfully ended a long and bloody World War II and was almost universally applauded at that time for saving many lives in the long run. That event has a curious double meaning in our history. Tibbets, Jr., piloting the B-29 bomber Enola Gay, dropped the first atom bomb on Hiroshima. The Featured Document display is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation, through the generous support of the Ford Motor Company Fund.Do you want to do an exhibit to make veterans feel good, or do you want an exhibition that will lead our visitors to think about the consequences of the atomic bombing of Japan? Frankly, I don't think we can do both. Truman Library and Museum website.įind more resources related to World War II records at.
In 1945, however, the American people overwhelmingly supported the decision to bring an end to the deadliest war in history.Įxplore the online collection The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb on the Harry S. Opponents contend that the bombs were unnecessary to defeat a severely weakened Japan.
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Supporters argue that the bombs were necessary to save American lives and bring a swift end to the war. Historians continue to debate the United States’ decision to use nuclear weapons to end World War II.
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A minimum of another 100,000 people also died from illnesses caused by radiation exposure in the weeks, months, and decades that followed. At least 100,000 deaths directly resulted from the attacks. The exact death toll of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings is impossible to know. In this typed copy of the letter, Alvarez wrote: “What regrets I have about being a party to killing and maiming thousands of Japanese civilians this morning are tempered with the hope that this terrible weapon we have created may bring the countries of the world together to prevent further wars.” He served as a scientific observer on the Hiroshima mission and drafted this letter to his son describing the bombing during the return flight. Luis Alvarez was a physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project, which developed the atomic weapons dropped over Japan. National Archives, General Records of the Department of Energy Letter from Luis Alvarez to His Son, August 6, 1945 World War II ended when Japan formally surrendered on September 2, 1945. Soviet forces also invaded Japanese-occupied Manchuria in China that day, further crippling the Japanese military.įinally, on August 15, the Emperor of Japan issued an Imperial Rescript proclaiming his acceptance of the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration. After Japan failed to act, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb, “Fat Man,” over the city of Nagasaki on the morning of August 9.
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military’s use of this new form of weaponry and threatened future bombings if Japan did not surrender unconditionally as outlined in the July 26, 1945, Potsdam Declaration. Later that day, President Harry Truman informed the American people of the U.S. It was followed by intense heat that created a firestorm that engulfed the city and claimed even more lives. Those who survived the initial blast were hit with a powerful shockwave that leveled nearly every structure within a mile of the impact. As many as 70,000 people were killed instantly. On the ground, the city was alive with morning activity when the bomb detonated in a blinding explosion. locally, the B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped the atomic bomb “Little Boy” on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. On August 6, 1945, at approximately 8:15 a.m. National Archives, Records of the Office of War Information “Photograph of the Atomic Cloud Rising Over Nagasaki, Japan,” August 9, 1945