Cristian Almaraz, Abigail Correa, Bryan Martinez, and Siani Arroyo

US Government
8th and 1st Period
September 23, 2018

Bibliography

• The Creation of the Atomic Bomb: Scientific Triumph or Human Tragedy?

Primary Sources:

Conant, J. B. and V. Bush. “Background on the Atomic Project.” Memorandum from

Vannevar Bush and James B. Conant, Office of Scientist Research and Development, to
Secretary of War, September 30, 1944, Top Secret. December 08, 2008. Accessed September
23, 2018
https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB162/1.pdf.
This is a once secret file form the office of scientific research. It gives us an inside look at the
situation regarding the atomic bomb. This represents the United States acknowledging the
importance of the atomic bomb.

“Defining Targets.” Notes on Initial Meeting of Target Committee, May 2, 1945, Top
Secret. October 04, 1975. Accessed September 23, 2018
https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/nukevault/ebb525-The-Atomic-Bomb-and-the-End-of-World-War-
II/#_tc2
These are the notes on the initial meeting of the target committee. This shows us the
determination of what city to target in Japan. This represents the condition the United States
were looking for.

Davies, Joseph E. "Defining Targets." Diary Entry for May 21, 1945, May 21, 1945.
Accessed September 23, 2018. https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB162/8.pdf.
While officials at the Pentagon continued to look closely at the problem of atomic targets,
President Truman, like Stimson, was thinking about the diplomatic implications of the bomb.

Estimate of the Enemy Situation.” Combined Chief of Staff, July 6, 1945. Accessed
September 24, 2018.

1
https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/nukevault/ebb525-The-Atomic-Bomb-and-the-End-of-World-War-
II/#_tc3
This is a summary of the Japanese situation before surrender. This helps us understand Japan's
financial struggles. This document represents that japan may have had economic trouble but
their army was their main asset.“

George L., Harrison. "Debates on Alternatives to First Use and Unconditional Surrender."
Memorandum from George L. Harrison to Secretary of War, June 26, 1945, Top Secret, June 26,
1945. Accessed September 23, 2018. https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB162/22.pdf
Reminding Stimson about the objections of some Manhattan project scientists to military use of
the bomb, Harrison summarized the basic arguments of the Franck report. This proposal had
been the subject of positive discussion by the Interim Committee on the grounds that Soviet
confidence was necessary to make possible post-war cooperation on atomic energy.

Groves, L. R. "The First Nuclear Strikes." Memorandum from General L. R. Groves to the
Chief of Staff, August 6, 1945, Top Secret, August 06, 1946. Accessed September 23,
2018.https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB162/53.pdf.

A report in the impact of the detonation which immediately killed at least 70,000, with many
dying later from radiation sickness and other causes. How influential the atomic bombings of
Hiroshima and later Nagasaki compared to the impact of the Soviet declaration of war were on
the Japanese decision to surrender has been the subject of controversy among historians.

Stimson, Henry. "President Truman Learns the Secret." Diary Entry, April 25, 1945, April
25, 1945. Accessed September 23, 2018.
https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB162/3d.pdf.

Harry Truman learned about the top secret Manhattan Project. It was not until he received a
briefing from Secretary of War Stimson and Manhattan Project chief General Groves,that
Truman understood the full scope of the enterprise.Sherwin have argued that Truman made "a
real decision" to use the bomb on Japan by choosing "between various forms of diplomacy and
warfare." In contrast, Barton Bernstein finds that Truman never questioned assumption that
the bomb would and should be used.
2
 “Toward Surrender.” Magic” – Far East Summary, War Department, Office of Assistant
Chief of Staff, G-2, No. 507, August 9, 1945. July 07, 2005. Accessed September 23, 2018.
https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/nukevault/ebb525-The-Atomic-Bomb-and-the-End-of-World-War-
II/#_tc2
This is a diplomatic summary. This lets our research understand the situation after the bomb
has been dropped. This document represents the short time between the bomb and the end of
the war.

Secondary Sources:

Winter, Jonah. "THE SECRET PROJECT." SECRET Project, The (Book) Review. January 11, 2016.
Accessed September 23, 2018.
http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=ef30c8f7-5903-40b5-8a7a-
2f82f8fc44ef@sessionmgr101&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==#AN=119153859&db=lfh.
Talks about how the greatest scientists came together to discuss the bomb. Great impacts and
changes in history.

Bernstein, Barton. "Target Hiroshima: Deak Parsons and the Creation of the Atomic Bomb."
Choice Reviews Online 36, no. 05 (1999). Accessed September 23, 2018.
https://books.google.com/books/about/Target_Hiroshima.html?id=JpzzAgAAQBAJ&printsec=fr
ontcover&source=kp_read_button#v=onepage&q&f=false
For better or worse, Navy captain William S. "Deak" Parsons made the atomic bomb happen. As
ordnance chief and associate director at Los Alamos, Parsons turned the scientists' nuclear
creation into a practical weapon.

Gonzales, Doreen. The Manhattan Project and the Atomic Bomb in American History. Berkeley
Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, 2000.

3
https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Manhattan_Project_and_the_Atomic_Bom.html?i
dUFUJAAAACAAJ
Personal accounts, a chronology of events, and an overview of the social and political issues of
the time are brought together to tell the complete story about the creation of the atomic
bomb.

Mariner, Rosemary B., and G. Kurt. Piehler. The Atomic Bomb and American Society: New
Perspectives. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2009.
https://books.google.com/books?id=xWNIWtNVynMC&dq=perspectives+on+the+atomic+bom
b&source=gbs_navlinks_s
This is about the revolutionary change in military strategy following the invention of the bomb
and the development of Cold War ideology; the connection of the bomb to the
commemoration of World War II. This volume contributes to our understanding of how
democratic institutions can coexist with a technology that affects everyone, even if only a few
are empowered to manage it.