Ask the Scholar
Page 1 of 7
I can add historical knowledge about this page.
Page image
OCR
TRUMAN
HARRY
NATIONAL
ARCHIVES AND
RECORDS
LIBRARY
U.S.
SERVICE"
THE ATOMIC BOMB
BOVERNMENT
On April 25, 1945, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson had an appoint-
ment with the President at the White House. Stimson later, in his book
"On Active Service In Peace And War" wrote:
"When Stimson went to the White House on April 25, 1945, to discuss
the atomic bomb with a President from whom hitherto the matter had been
kept secret, he took with him a memorandum which dealt not so much with
the military use of the boinb as with its long-range political meaning."
In his book Stimson quoted the memorandum as follows:
"1. Within four months we shall in all probability have com-
pleted the most terrible weapon ever known in human history, one
bomb of which could destroy a whole city.
"2. Although we have shared its development with the U.K.,
physically the U.S. is at present in the position of controlling
the resources with which to construct and use it and no other
nation could reach this position for some years.
"3, Nevertheless it is practically certain that we could not
remain in this position indefinitely.
"a. Various segments of its discovery and production are
widely known among many scientists in many countries, although few
scientists are now acquainted with the whole process which we have
developed.
"b. Although its construction under present methods re-
quires great scientific and industrial effort and raw materials,
which are temporarily mainly within the possession and knowledge
of U.S. and U.K., it is extremely probable that much easier and
cheaper methods of production will be discovered by scientists in
the future, together with the use of materials of much wider distri-
bution. As a result, it is extremely probable that the future will
make it possible to be constructed by smaller nations or even groups,
or at least by a large nation in a much shorter time.
"4. As a result, it is indicated that the future may see a time
when such a weapon may be constructed in secret and used suddenly and ef-
fectively with devastating power by a willful nation or group against an
unsuspecting nation or group of much greater size and material power.
With its aid even a very powerful unsuspecting nation might be conquered
within a very few days by a very much smaller one.
"5. The world in its present state of moral advancement compared
with its technical development would be eventually at the mercy of such a
weapon. In other words, modern civilization might be completely destroyed.
Page data
- Page
- 1
- Source index
- 0
- Type
- photo
- Media ID
- e97a3ef917cb0835
- Size
- unknown
Document data
- ID
- 313081717
- Core
- doc
- Type
- document
DTO data
{
"id": "313081717",
"sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/313081717",
"contentType": "document",
"title": "Memorandum, \"The Atomic Bomb\"",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/313081717",
"collections": [
"Eben A. Ayers Papers",
"Subject Files"
],
"iiifBase": "https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-eaa/201201/2805278/2805278-02-001.tif",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-eaa/201201/2805278/2805278-02-001.tif",
"largeImageUrl": "https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-eaa/201201/2805278/2805278-02-001.tif",
"imageCount": 7,
"hasImages": true,
"source": "import",
"hasTranscription": false
}
Context sent to Scholar
Document identity
{
"localId": "313081717",
"label": "Memorandum, \"The Atomic Bomb\"",
"core": "doc",
"dtoType": "document",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/313081717"
}
Document source metadata
{
"id": "313081717",
"sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/313081717",
"contentType": "document",
"title": "Memorandum, \"The Atomic Bomb\"",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/313081717",
"collections": [
"Eben A. Ayers Papers",
"Subject Files"
],
"iiifBase": "https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-eaa/201201/2805278/2805278-02-001.tif",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-eaa/201201/2805278/2805278-02-001.tif",
"largeImageUrl": "https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-eaa/201201/2805278/2805278-02-001.tif",
"imageCount": 7,
"hasImages": true,
"source": "import",
"hasTranscription": false
}
Document source extras
{
"url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/313081717",
"naId": 313081717,
"levelOfDescription": "item",
"productionDates": [
{
"logicalDate": "1951-01-01",
"year": 1951
}
],
"recordType": "description",
"ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}
Page context
{
"seq": 1,
"pageIndex": 0,
"type": "photo",
"url": "https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-eaa/201201/2805278/2805278-02-001.tif",
"mediaId": "e97a3ef917cb0835",
"ocrText": "TRUMAN\nHARRY\nNATIONAL\nARCHIVES AND\nRECORDS\nLIBRARY\nU.S.\nSERVICE\"\nTHE ATOMIC BOMB\nBOVERNMENT\nOn April 25, 1945, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson had an appoint-\nment with the President at the White House. Stimson later, in his book\n\"On Active Service In Peace And War\" wrote:\n\"When Stimson went to the White House on April 25, 1945, to discuss\nthe atomic bomb with a President from whom hitherto the matter had been\nkept secret, he took with him a memorandum which dealt not so much with\nthe military use of the boinb as with its long-range political meaning.\"\nIn his book Stimson quoted the memorandum as follows:\n\"1. Within four months we shall in all probability have com-\npleted the most terrible weapon ever known in human history, one\nbomb of which could destroy a whole city.\n\"2. Although we have shared its development with the U.K.,\nphysically the U.S. is at present in the position of controlling\nthe resources with which to construct and use it and no other\nnation could reach this position for some years.\n\"3, Nevertheless it is practically certain that we could not\nremain in this position indefinitely.\n\"a. Various segments of its discovery and production are\nwidely known among many scientists in many countries, although few\nscientists are now acquainted with the whole process which we have\ndeveloped.\n\"b. Although its construction under present methods re-\nquires great scientific and industrial effort and raw materials,\nwhich are temporarily mainly within the possession and knowledge\nof U.S. and U.K., it is extremely probable that much easier and\ncheaper methods of production will be discovered by scientists in\nthe future, together with the use of materials of much wider distri-\nbution. As a result, it is extremely probable that the future will\nmake it possible to be constructed by smaller nations or even groups,\nor at least by a large nation in a much shorter time.\n\"4. As a result, it is indicated that the future may see a time\nwhen such a weapon may be constructed in secret and used suddenly and ef-\nfectively with devastating power by a willful nation or group against an\nunsuspecting nation or group of much greater size and material power.\nWith its aid even a very powerful unsuspecting nation might be conquered\nwithin a very few days by a very much smaller one.\n\"5. The world in its present state of moral advancement compared\nwith its technical development would be eventually at the mercy of such a\nweapon. In other words, modern civilization might be completely destroyed."
}