Dates: 1939-1996
The Atomic Bomb Collection consists of various types of documents pertaining to the atomic bomb. Included are: eyewitness accounts; atomic bomb test and test site information; correspondence between Harry S. Truman, Leo Szilard, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, and others; memorabilia; printed materials; and research papers. This collection is a combination of documents from various donors, mostly taken from the Miscellaneous Historical Documents Collection (MHDC) and the General Historical Documents Collection (GHDC).
Size: 10 linear inches (about 1,600 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: Documents created by U.S. government employees in the course of their official duties are in the public domain. The copyright interest in other materials presumably belongs to the creators of those materials, or their heirs.
Processed by: Kate Morton (2009) as part of the Truman Library Internship Program.
Supervising Archivists: Randy Sowell and David Clark.
Updated by: Randy Sowell (2024).
[ Top of the page | Administrative Information |Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]
The Atomic Bomb Collection consists of various types of documents pertaining to the atomic bomb. This collection is a combination of documents from various donors. Most were originally opened for research as part of the Miscellaneous Historical Documents Collection (MHDC) or the General Historical Documents Collection (GHDC). The original MHDC and GHDC numbers are included in the folder title list.
Important documents in this collection include: information on “Bockscar,” the airplane that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki; eyewitness descriptions of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and atomic tests at Eniwetok; other eyewitness accounts; drawings of McDonald Ranch at Trinity Site, Alamogordo, New Mexico; other information regarding atomic tests; correspondence between Harry S. Truman, Leo Szilard, Franklin D. Roosevelt, George C. Marshall, Albert Einstein, General Leslie Groves, Carl Hatch, Henry Stimson, and others; copies of leaflets dropped on Japanese cities in conjunction with the atomic bomb; minutes of a meeting held at the White House to discuss war strategy on June 18, 1945; photographs, various research papers; documents from Yale University pertaining to the atomic bomb; and memorabilia.
Related manuscript collections at the Truman Library include the papers of Harry S. Truman (President’s Secretary’s Files, Official File, and Post-Presidential Papers), R. Gordon Arneson, Eben Ayers, and Charles Ross.
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1-2 |
SUBJECT FILE, 1939-1996: Charts and graphs, correspondence, handwritten notes, memorabilia, memoranda, printed materials, newspaper clippings, articles, photographs, reports, transcripts, maps, and drawings related to the atomic bomb. Arranged alphabetically by donor. |
Box 1
- Barnes, Philip M.: Letter Concerning his Involvement in the Nagasaki Bombing, November 14, 1990 [MHDC 741]
- Bock, Frederick—Commemorative Booklet for 50th Anniversary Reunion, 509th Composite Group, August 1995 [GHDC 304]
- Bowen, Lee—Letter to John T. Jackson About the Atomic Bomb Test at Bikini, July 6, 1946
- Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 1945-46
- Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 1949
- Carroll, John F.: Letter Arguing that Harry S. Truman Should Have Received the Nobel Peace Prize for Ending the War Against Japan, Aug. 1, 1985 [MHDC 560]
- Clemson University—Documents from the James F. Byrnes Papers Concerning Leo Szilard, 1945, 1961 [GHDC 307]
- Conger, Alan D.—Eyewitness Descriptions of the Bombing of Pearl Harbor and Atomic Tests at Eniwetok [GHDC 312]
- Ferrell, Robert H.—Documents Concerning the Atomic Bomb and Hospital Requirements for the Planned Invasion of Kyushu [MHDC 745]
- Franklin D. Roosevelt Library—Copies of Correspondence Between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Albert Einstein [GHDC 272]
- Franklin D. Roosevelt Library—Message from Harry S. Truman to Carl Hatch Regarding Atomic Test at Bikini, July 1946 [MHDC 242]
- Giangreco, Dennis—Correspondence Between Harry S. Truman, George C. Marshall, Henry Stimson, and Others Regarding Strategy for Ending the War Against Japan, 1945 [MHDC 816, 835]
- Hush, James—Letter Regarding the Atomic Bomb Project, August 6, 1945 [GHDC 251]
- Interior Department, U.S.—Drawings of McDonald Ranch at Trinity Site, Alamogordo, New Mexico [MHDC 519]
- Lewis, Robert A.—Notes Taken During Mission of the Enola Gay to Bomb Hiroshima, August 6, 1945 [GHDC 200]
- Meyer, Freeman—Correspondence with Keith Hook Concerning Atomic Bomb [MHDC 647]
- National Archives—Correspondence Between Albert Einstein, Leo Szilard, and Others, 1939-1946 [MHDC 345]
- National Archives—“Early History Atomic Project in Relation to President Roosevelt, 1939-40,” by Alexander Sachs [MHDC 470]
- National Archives—Leaflets Dropped on Japanese Cities in Conjunction with the Atomic Bomb, 1945 [MHDC 258]
- National Archives—Memorandum on Meeting Between Harry S. Truman and General Leslie Groves, April 25, 1945 [MHDC 779]
Box 2
- National Archives—Minutes of Meeting at the White House on War Strategy, June 18, 1945 [MHDC 736, 746]
- National Archives—“United States Nuclear Tests: July 1945 Through September 1992” [GHDC 306]
- Purdy, Alfred W.—“How Would WW II Have Ended? (If the Atomic Bomb Had Not Been Used),” with Photographs of Hiroshima [GHDC 303]
- Purdy, Alfred W. and Others—Commemorative Stamps and Letters Expressing Support for Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb [MHDC 770]
- Reese, Lee Fleming—“Decision Against Japan: To Invade or to Drop the Bomb,” December 7, 1965 [MHDC 529]
- Roberts, Priscilla—Letter from John J. McCloy, November 10, 1982 [GHDC 238]
- Rosenberg, David—Chronology of Atomic Weapons Development [GHDC 259]
- Ross, Charles G.—Memorandum for the President on Admiral Leahy’s Memoirs, May 9, 1949 [MHDC 375]
- Shankster, Dale C.—Letter Thanking President Truman for Using the Atomic Bomb, 1995 [GHDC 291]
- Smoot, Carey—“Harry S. Truman and the A-Bomb: An Example of Decision-Making,” January 29, 1973 [MHDC 182]
- State Department, U.S.—Letter from Clement Attlee to Harry S. Truman, October 16, 1945 [MHDC 380]
- Straub, Ann—Poem Sent to Mr. Truman, “The Twos of World War II” [MHDC 534]
- Tuohy, Denis--Fictional Interview with Harry S. Truman About the Atomic Bomb [donated by Barbara Young, 2014]
- Yale University—Documents Pertaining to the Atomic Bomb [1 of 4]
- Yale University—Documents Pertaining to the Atomic Bomb [2 of 4]
- Yale University—Documents Pertaining to the Atomic Bomb [3 of 4]
- Yale University—Documents Pertaining to the Atomic Bomb [4 of 4]