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In reference to some comments, I'll add this concerning the meaning of this document, from a link by JMS (emphasis mine):įeatured document in this section of the exhibit: Sorry circumstances seem to require this emer-Īnd on the back side is Truman's hand written response: Have White House release revised statement as soon as Time, I will appreciate having your authority to Nevertheless in the event he does not reach you in While I am planning to start a copy by specialĬourier tomrrow in the hope you can be reached, (C) Certain minor suggestions made by British
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Statement, which I previously presented to you, in Statement for release by you be available not later Gressing so rapidly that it is now essential that The time schedule on Groves' project is pro. To the President from the Secretary of War TO: Tripartite Conference Babelsberg, Germany I came across a document in the Truman library while researching another question here, which according to the one Library page, seems to be the closest thing to documenting the order by Truman authorizing the bomb drop:įirst is the request for authorization, dated 31 July, 1945: No arrangement for recall subsequent to launch was planned for because any abort decision was up to the commander of the mission, Colonel Tibbets. Once authorized it was expected to take place at the earliest suitable opportunity. The key point here is that there were no special go/no-go arrangements for the mission. It is unlikely to my mind that any such would have had the slightest bearing on the Hiroshima mission.
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Note that any last minute communication from the Japanese would have been received with extreme skepticism, as merely a delaying tactic. The bomb could always have been dropped at sea for disposal, though General Groves would likely have been most disappointed at that result. Conceivably that latter process could be reversed, but I am unsure that it would have been attempted. Mission authorization was given and Tibbets arranges a suitable date according to weather forecasts.Īboard the Enola Gay the bomb was armed after take off and its safety devices removed about 30 minutes before it was dropped. Once the Japanese response to the Potsdam declaration, Mokusatsu, had been sent and received, it would have been tacitly understood all around that any further decisions could only be implemented on a best efforts basis. Truman retained mission authorization within the Oval Office, but all further details were delegated through the normal chain of command to Colonel Tibbets to plan the mission. I'm curious how late he could abort the bombing if he'd really wanted to. Let's say the Japanese surrendered on August 4 because they could see that the war was lost. I realize this is all academic now but it's not impossible to imagine Truman having a change of heart and deciding not to bomb Hiroshima. Given that Truman was at Potsdam when he made the decision to bomb Hiroshima, did he have a secure method of communications to use to communicate his order from Potsdam? If so, what was that method? When was that order actually given? I'm guessing it was at least several days before the bombing since someone had to order the bomb moved to Tinian and a plane and flight crew chosen and assembled at Tinian.Ĭould Truman have aborted if he'd changed his mind? How late could he have successfully aborted? Right up until the bombardier pressed the "Bombs Away" button? Or would it have been early, say up until the moment Enola Gay left Tinian, after which it might have been running silent? It occurs to me that maybe a theater commander like Gen. Am I correct in assuming that Truman and only Truman had the authority to order the bombing of Hiroshima? After all, it was the very first A-bomb and procedures may not have been formalized yet.