bombing drops. President Truman and Stimson had also agreed that if the Soviet Union had asked about atomic weapons in the upcoming meetings, Truman would stall. Truman would also mention at the meeting in Potsdam that the United States were preparing to use a new weapon against Japan.

General Lesile Groves and Thomas Farrell were responsible for the bomb target selection group. They grouped scientists and Army Air Force Officers to determine the location of the bombing. It all came down to Kokura Arsenal, Kyoto, Niigata, and Hiroshima for the bombing locations. The group believed that dropping the bomb on one of these cities would make a psychological impact on the Japanese and weaken military forces.

Kyoto was seen as an ideal location by others because many industries were relocated and some of Japan’s major factories were in Kyoto. But, Stimson had rejected the idea of Kyoto being the place where the bomb dropped because Kyoto was a cultural importance to Japan. Intially, Kokura was chosen as a target but because of the clouds and smoke from a firebomb in Yahata making their way over to Kokura, pilot Charles W. Sweeney moved to Nagasaki.

Niigata was ruled out because of it’s distance from the other targets. Niigata was 440 miles away from Hiroshima while the other targets (Kyoto, Kokura, and Nagasaki) were 100 miles away. Flying a B-29 and carrying a 5 ton bomb was already enough work. Hiroshima was finally chosen. Putting a bomb in the middle of Hiroshima would destroy the entirety of the city. Hiroshima was chosen also because of it’s factories and facilities.

After 6:00 a.m, the atomic bomb was fully secured and armed. At 7:00 a.m, the Japanese radar detected one of the three planes that hovered over Hiroshima on the same day as the bombing and informed Hiroshima citizens. The plane had circled around Hiroshima but there were no signs of bombers so citizens quickly dismissed it and started their daily work. By 7:25, Enola Gay was finally cruising over Hiroshima. Enola Gay was 26,000 feet above ground and by 8:00 a.m, the Japanese radar had detected something again. It was the B-29 bomb heading towards Hiroshima. Radio stations were alerted and casted a warning for peo