It wasn't until April 25, 1945, that Henry Stimson, Secretary of War, gave Truman his first full briefing on the atomic bomb. .
In May of 1945, at Stimson's request, Truman authorized the creation of The Interim Committee, which was made up of high-level advisors, with Stimson as the Chairman. One of the Committee's recommendations to the President came on June 1, 1945. The Committee was in agreement that the atomic bomb should be used against Japan as soon as possible and without prior warning. .
The Potsdam Conference opened in mid-July 1945, the day after the President learned about the successful test explosion of an atomic bomb in a remote area in New Mexico. Among the attendees at the Conference were allied leaders of Britain, Russia, China and the US (Churchill, Stalin, and Truman). On July 26th 1945, the Potsdam Proclamation was released which was a statement of terms for the Unconditional Surrender of Japan. The only other alternative for Japan was prompt and utter destruction. The Japanese Military refused the Potsdam Proclamation. .
On August 6th, 1945, the US dropped the first Atomic Bomb named Little Boy on Hiroshima, which housed the Second General Army Headquarters. Hiroshima was also an important communications and transportation center. The bomb exploded over the city and the results were visually spectacular and physically devastating. Truman made the following statement after the bomb had exploded, "The force from which the sun draws its power had been loosed against those who brought war to the Far East." Truman went on to say, "If the Japanese did not now accept the Postdam Declaration, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the likes of which has never been seen on this earth" (Maddox, 130).
Although the officials in Tokyo heard that a catastrophe had struck Hiroshima within an hour after the blast, they did not learn until the following day that the whole city of Hiroshima had been destroyed by a single bomb.
