Motion Picture MP2002-281
Administrative Information
Harry Truman discusses the atomic bomb and when he was informed of the test conducted in New Mexico . He was at the Potsdam Conference and informed Churchill and Stalin. He also states he was the person who had to make the decision to use the bomb. He discusses Okinawa and the casualties suffered by the Japanese. Truman also talks about Secretary of War Stimson being firmly against using the bomb on Tokyo . Sound only.
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Shot List
Reel 1
| 0:00 | Harry S. Truman discusses making the atomic bomb. "15,000 people working on the thing, half a million at various places, and it was so secret they didn't know what they were doing." | |
| 0:27 | Mr. Truman discusses the atomic bomb test in New Mexico. He was informed of its success while he was at the Potsdam Conference. He informed Prime Minister Churchill and Premier Stalin. Mr. Stalin "didn’t know what I was talking about." | |
| 1:08 | Mr. Truman states he was the person who had to make the decision to use the bomb. "On July 16, 1945, at 5:30 in the morning, the world began the atomic age." "Our enemy had started the war" Mr. Truman states, describing how 110,000 Japanese were killed in the taking of Okinawa. This gave them an idea of what we had to do to defeat the Japanese. | |
| 3:02 | Mr. Truman states that Secretary of War Stimson was firmly against using the bombing of Tokyo, and didn’t want to use the atomic bomb against Kyoto, a religious center. | |