Henry L. Stimson

Henry L. Stimson was Secretary of War for Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. He was considered one of the wisest and most knowledgeable men in government. He was also aware of the Manhattan Project from its inception. In the following excerpt, which originally appeared in the February 1947 issue of Harper’s Magazine, Stimson explains the policies that led to the use of the atomic bomb against Japan in 1945.

From the beginning, Stimson and President Roosevelt decided to pursue an all-out program to be the first nation to develop the atomic bomb and use it to shorten the war. Roosevelt, however, died before the project came to fruition. President Truman took office in 1945 when the bomb was nearing completion. By July of that year, Germany had been defeated and the military was preparing its...