In 1942, the Manhattan Project was created in order to manufacture nuclear weapons to

attack the one remaining Axis nation - Japan. In 1945 the bombs “Little Boy” and, three days
later, “Fat Man” hit the ground in the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing an
estimated total of over 200,000 people. We chose this topic in order to drill deeper into the
reasons why the bombs were dropped, or any factors, such as human costs or racism, that may
have influenced the Manhattan Project, and the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This
topic fits the theme because it wasn’t just about the bombing of the cities, it was about the people
and events behind this, and the breakthroughs that were caused during and after Nagasaki and
Hiroshima.

Primary Sources:

Websites

The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II: A Collection of Primary Sources,

nsarchive2.gwu.edu//NSAEBB/NSAEBB162/index.htm

This website includes primary sources of Ground Zero relating to the bombing of

Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It summarizes most of the events, provides a multitude of

pictures and documents, and it helped us understand and learn more about the

background of the Atomic Project.

“Ground Zero 1945” MIT Visualizing Cultures,

https://visualizingcultures.mit.edu/groundzero1945/gz_essay01.html

This website includes pictures taken by atomic bomb survivors, giving us a look into

what the aftermath looked like.

“The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb.” Harry S. Truman,

www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/online-collections/decision-to-drop-atomic-bomb.
 This website includes documents focusing on the decision to drop the bomb. It includes

over 70 documents and over 600 pages.

“Voice of the A-Bomb Survivor .” s20hibaku.g3.Xrea.com, s20hibaku.g3.xrea.com/

This website includes images of before and after Nagasaki was bombed, as well as a

testimony from a survivor.

“Video Testimony.” VOSHN(Video Testimony),

http://s20hibaku.g3.xrea.com/voshn/video/index.html.

This website includes testimonies from survivors that were in the counties at the time of

the bombing. It helps us to get a different perspective on the actual bombing as a whole.

“Manhattan Project Voices.” Manhattan Project Voices |, www.manhattanprojectvoices.org/.

This website contains a collection that features 580 audio/visual interviews with Manhattan
Project workers and their families. It also includes interviews with some of the men who
flew on the atomic bombing missions, as well as a section including interviews with atomic
bomb survivors, the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and experts on the bombings and
their impacts. Allowing us to further our knowledge on both sides of the bombings.

“Memories Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki.”, www.asahi.com/hibakusha/english/.

This website lists letters from multiple survivors of the bombings of Hiroshima and

Nagasaki.

Documents

“‘Collection and Identification of Fission Products of Foreign Origin’ by Peter King and N.

Friedman: Harry S. Truman.” "Collection and Identification of Fission Products of Foreign

Origin" by Peter King and N. Friedman | Harry S. Truman,

www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/research-files/collection-and-identification-fission-products-

foreign-origin-peter-king-and?documentid=NA&pagenumber=2.

This document is a primary source and is a brief account of the “methods of detection and

fission activity measurements completed to date” that were used at the time of the event.

It gives us data in the form of graphs and information in chronological sequence.

“Draft Statement on the Dropping of the Bomb: Harry S. Truman.” Draft Statement on the

Dropping of the Bomb | Harry S. Truman, www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/research-files/draft-

statement-dropping-bomb

This source is a written primary source. It contains the draft statement on the dropping of

the bomb on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, a firsthand account of what took place, and the

events leading up to it and an analysis on the event.

“Henry Stimson to Harry S. Truman, with Attached Draft Press Release: Harry S. Truman.”

Henry Stimson to Harry S. Truman, with Attached Draft Press Release | Harry S. Truman,

www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/research-files/henry-stimson-harry-s-truman-attached-draft-

press-release

This written primary source details H. Stimson’s letter to Harry Truman about dropping the

bombs.
“Memo of Conversation with Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer and Dean Acheson: Harry S. Truman.”

Memo of Conversation with Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer and Dean Acheson | Harry S. Truman,

www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/research-files/memo-conversation-dr-j-robert-oppenheimer-and-

dean-acheson.

This document talks about a meeting that took place and all of the topics discussed

throughout the entire meeting. The topics had to do with the control of the Atomic bomb,

the destruction that may be caused, and Russians knowledge on the bombs.

Photographs

“Total Destruction” U.S. National Archives, RG 77-AEC

https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu//NSAEBB/NSAEBB162/hiroshima-3_thumb.jpg

The total area devastated by the atomic strike on Hiroshima is shown in the darkened area

(within the circle) of the photo. The numbered items are military and industrial

installations with the percentages of total destruction. This helped us get an overall

estimate of bad the damage was and the range of people affected.

“Morning of August 6, 1945” U.S. National Archives, RG 77-AEC

https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu//NSAEBB/NSAEBB162/hiroshima-1_thumb.jpg
 A mushroom cloud from the bomb. This shows how big the explosion was, as well as

how an understanding of how the surrounding area was affected. The mushroom cloud

billowing up 20,000 feet over Hiroshima on the morning of August 6, 1945

“A mushroom cloud rises moments after the atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of

Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945, three days after the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.”,

Time Magazine.

https://timedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/nagasaki-bombing-bomb-anniversary-

hiroshima.jpg

“Overview of Destruction” U.S. National Archives, RG 306-NT. August-September 1945

https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu//NSAEBB/NSAEBB162/hiroshima-4_thumb.jpg

Another picture taken from above. This also gives us an idea of how people and the

surrounding area were affected.

“Loading The Bomb” U.S. National Archives, RG 77-BT

https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu//NSAEBB/NSAEBB162/little-boy-2_thumb.jpg

This shows the "Little Boy" weapon in the pit ready for loading into the bomb bay of

Enola Gay.

“Fat Man” U.S. National Archives, RG 77-AEC

https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu//NSAEBB/NSAEBB162/fat-man-model_thumb.jpg

A nuclear weapon of the "Fat Man" type, the plutonium implosion type detonated over Nagasaki.

60 inches in diameter and 128 inches long, the weapon weighed about 10,000 pounds and had a

yield approximating 21,000 tons of high explosives.

“Little Boy” U.S. National Archives, RG77-AEC

https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu//NSAEBB/NSAEBB162/little-boy-model_thumb.jpg

This is a photograph of a nuclear weapon of the "Little Boy" type, the uranium gun-type

detonated over Hiroshima. It is 28 inches in diameter and 120 inches long. "Little Boy"

weighed about 9,000 pounds and had a yield approximating 15,000 tons of high

explosives.

Audio/Video

Mr. Akira Ikeda. VOSHN(Video Testimony),

http://s20hibaku.g3.xrea.com/voshn/video/part/1_1.html

Testimony of Mr. Akira Ikeda on his thoughts of the bombings and how it affected him.

Mr. Hiromu Morishita. VOSHN(Video Testimony),

http://s20hibaku.g3.xrea.com/voshn/video/part/2_1.html

Testimony of Mr. Hiromu Morishita on his thoughts of the bombings and how it affected

him.

Mr. Susumu Yoneda. VOSHN(Video Testimony),

http://s20hibaku.g3.xrea.com/voshn/video/part/20_1.html

Testimony of Ms. Susumu Yoneda on her thoughts of the bombings and how it affected

her.
https://www.manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/j-robert-oppenheimers-interview

Secondary Sources

Websites

“National History Day.” Los Alamos History, www.losalamoshistory.org/national-history-

day.html.

This website is a History Fair website with an interview about the Manhattan project and

the bombings themselves. This source gives us plenty of information on the topic as well

as questions for us to answer ourselves.

“Library Guides: History Day Topic Guide: Atomic Bomb - Hiroshima & Nagasaki: Home.”

Home - History Day Topic Guide: Atomic Bomb - Hiroshima & Nagasaki - Library Guides at

University of Washington Libraries, guides.lib.uw.edu/research/qg4.

This source gives a quick summary of the event and lists sources to use. This is where we

were able to get a majority of our sources, pictures and audio.

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki
Books

Malloy, Sean L. Atomic Tragedy Henry L. Stimson and the Decision to Use the Bomb against

Japan. Cornell Univ. Press, 2010.

Atomic Tragedy offers a unique perspective on one of the most important events of the

twentieth century. As secretary of war during World War II, Henry L. Stimson (1867–1950)

oversaw the American nuclear weapons program.

Miscamble, Wilson D. The Most Controversial Decision: Truman, the Atomic Bombs, and the

Defeat of Japan. Cambridge University Press, 2011.

This book explores the American use of atomic bombs, and the role these weapons

played in the defeat of the Japanese Empire in World War II. It focuses on President

Harry S. Truman's decision making regarding this most controversial of all his decisions.

Ham, Paul. Hiroshima Nagasaki. HarperCollins Publishers Australia, 2018.

Paul Ham argues against the use of nuclear weapons, drawing on extensive research and

hundreds of interviews to prove that the bombings had little impact on the eventual

outcome of the Pacific War.

Selden, Kyoko, and Mark Selden. The Atomic Bomb: Voices from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. An

East Gate Book, 1989.

This collection of factual reports, short stories, poems and drawings expresses in a deeply

personal voice the devastating effects of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.