State Historical Society of Iowa

General Leslie Groves' Statement to the Officers about the Atomic Bomb, 1945

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General Leslie Grove was the director of the Manhattan Project. In the talk below he outlines the necessity of the atomic bomb to hasten the end of World War II.
Courtesy of National Archives, Groves, Leslie, "General Groves speaking to the Officers regarding the atom bomb," 1945

Description

General Leslie Grove was the director of the Manhattan Project. In this document, he explained to his soldiers the necessity of the atomic bomb to hasten the end of World War II.

Transcript of General Leslie Groves' Statement to the Officers about the Atomic Bomb

Source-Dependent Questions

  • According to General Leslie Groves, why was the atomic bomb dropped?
  • How did Groves argue that dropping the atomic bomb was humane for both sides? Based on Groves' statement and the photo of Nagasaki, make an argument that dropped the atomic bombs was not humane.

Citation Information 

Groves, Leslie, "General Groves speaking to the Officers regarding the atom bomb," 1945. Courtesy of National Archives