Herald Português

World War II · 5 chapters · 26 min

Hiroshima: The Decision

1939 to 1945Chicago, Los Alamos, Washington, Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki

The story in brief

A refugee imagines a chain reaction at a red light, and a letter reaches the President. Three secret cities build a weapon most of their people never see. Scientists ask for a warning, a war minister saves Kyoto, and at 8:15 one morning a city disappears. Was it necessary? Both camps, in their own words.

The chapters

  1. Chapter 1 · 5 min · Free

    The Letter

    A refugee at a red light imagines a bomb. Six years later, the most famous scientist alive signs a warning to the President.

    Sources: Einstein’s letter to Roosevelt (1939); Leo Szilárd’s recollections; The Department of Energy’s Manhattan Project history

  2. Chapter 2 · 5 min · Free

    Trinity

    Three secret cities build a weapon most of their people never see. Then the enemy it was built against surrenders.

    Sources: The Interim Committee minutes (1945); The Franck Report (1945); The Szilárd petition (1945); The Department of Energy’s Manhattan Project history

  3. Chapter 3 · 5 min

    The Target

    Tokyo burns without any atomic bomb. A committee picks cities to save for one, and a war minister crosses off the one he loves.

    Sources: The Target Committee minutes (1945); Stimson’s diary (1945); The Potsdam Declaration (1945); The directive of 25 July 1945

  4. Chapter 4 · 5 min

    8:15

    At 7:31 the all-clear sounds over Hiroshima. At 8:15 three American bombers are high above the T-shaped bridge in the city center, and one of them carries the bomb.

    Sources: The Strategic Bombing Survey (1946); The City of Hiroshima’s estimates; President Truman’s statement of 6 August 1945

  5. Chapter 5 · 6 min

    The Surrender

    Smoke and haze hide one city, and a second bomb falls on another. An Emperor speaks on the radio for the first time. The argument has never stopped.

    Sources: The Emperor’s broadcast (1945); The Strategic Bombing Survey (1946); Stimson in Harper’s (1947); Frank, Downfall; Hasegawa, Racing the Enemy

Who’s who

The people you meet. Each one is a hero card you can collect.

  • Leo SzilárdPhysicist · The Letter · The Petition
  • Leslie GrovesArmy Engineer · Builder of the Pentagon · Head of the Manhattan Project
  • Henry StimsonSecretary of War · Saved Kyoto · Defended the Decision
  • Yoshito MatsushigePhotographer · Hiroshima, 6 August 1945 · Witness
  • John HerseyReporter · Hiroshima · Pulitzer Prize
  • Tsutomu YamaguchiEngineer · Hiroshima and Nagasaki · Survivor

What you’ll be able to tell

This story belongs to the journey “The Price of Victory”. By the end of it, you can tell why Brazilians say “the snake will smoke”, how Hiroshima was decided, and where the word genocide comes from.

Stories in this journey

  1. Monte Castelo: Brazil’s War in Italy
  2. Hiroshima: The Decision

Sources

  • Einstein’s letter (1939)
  • The Franck Report and the Szilárd petition (1945)
  • The Target Committee minutes
  • The Potsdam Declaration
  • Truman’s statement of 6 August 1945
  • The Emperor’s broadcast
  • The Strategic Bombing Survey (1946)
  • Stimson in Harper’s (1947)

World War II: every story