Memorandum, "The Atomic Bomb"

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.