Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum
The atomic bomb was developed by scientists working under the Manhattan Project. The project was granted funding on December 6, 1941, with American leaders aiming for a new invention that would serve as a wartime weapon. The decision to drop an atomic bomb on Japan had been made by 1943, and a shortlist of candidate target cities was in place in 1945. At the time, it was argued that an atomic bombing would bring about a more rapid end to the war. Hiroshima, the first target, was selected to show the power of America's new weapon. The second bombing, of Nagasaki, was intended to demonstrate that the USA had a large arsenal. At 11:02 A.M. local time on August 9, 1945, the atomic bomb, nicknamed Fat Man as its code name by Robert Serber in the United States (after Sydney Greenstreet's character in "The Maltese Falcon") was dropped on Nagasaki, forever changing the city's landscape. A mushroom cloud rose to an altitude of 45,000 feet above the city.
159th Liaison Squadron
At the end of July, the squadron received orders to move to Ie Shima. However, on 6 August, the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan and three days later a second atomic bomb devastated Nagasaki. On 14 August the Japanese announced their surrender. On 19 August, the squadron witnessed a bit of history when a pair of Japanese Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" Bombers, painted white with green crosses landed on the island on their way to Manila. They were carrying a surrender delegation to meet General MacArthur for surrender negotiations. The Japanese transferred to a C-54 Skymaster at Yontan while their crews stayed behind to tend to their planes and be observed by curious onlookers. The war ended on 2 September without any combat being seen by the squadron on Okinawa.