the Target Committee

The Target Committee was formed under the command of Brigadier General Leslie Groves, the head of the Manhattan Project. Groves’s deputy, Brigadier General Thomas F. Farrell, chaired the committee. The members consisted of two other Air Force commanders and five scientists. The Target Committee, the Interim Committee, and a third committee consisting of Truman’s advisers were all formed to make recommendations to the president on how to best use the bomb.

At the end of its two-day meeting on May 10 and 11, 1945, the Target Committee had dealt with a number of important topics surrounding utilizing atomic weapons against Japan. One item was the most effective height at which to detonate such bombs. If a nuclear warhead was exploded too high off the ground, much of its power would be lost in the atmosphere. On the other hand, if the...