Description
Draft copy of President Harry Truman’s statement regarding the first use of atomic weapons, delivered to Maxwell Field, Alabama.
This is a draft copy of the final statement, lacking the specific hour and location of the atomic bombing. Document is 4 pages long, measures 13″ x 8″, stapled at top edge, even toning to all leaves. Housed in rigid cardboard document binder. Includes stamps from the U.S. Army and “withdrawn” library stamp. Gift inscription in pencil reads: “Gift from Col. De Russy.” An exceptionally scarce original document, with only a few copies appearing at public auctions over the last 75 years.
On July 31st, 1945, draft versions of this statement were given to President Harry Truman while he attended the Potsdam Conference. When the Japanese leadership rejected the Potsdam Declaration, Truman authorized the use of the Atomic Bomb any time after August 3rd, 1945. He received news of the bombing on board the U.S.S. Augusta, enroute from the Potsdam Conference back to Washington. The official statement was released sixteen hours after the bombing, with Truman announcing the bombing was an atomic weapon, “harnessing of the basic power of the universe. The force from which the sun draws its power has been loosed against those who brought war to the Far East.”
