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The article presents the text of February 1947 comments by the United States Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson regarding the decision of the American government to use the atomic bomb against Japan during World War II. Stimson describes his role on a committee on the use and development of atomic energy, appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941. Roosevelt pursued a policy of quick development of an atomic weapon, based on the belief that Germany was developing atomic weapons. The process of development and testing of the atomic bomb is described. Stimson looks at the decision to employ the atomic bomb against the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, under U.S. President Harry S. Truman in 1945. Stimson discusses the projected political impact of the atomic bombing of Japan, and discusses his opinion of the plan. The article states that the U.S. was successful in its use of the atomic bomb to force Japan's surrender in World War II.

The article presents the text of the announcement made by U.S. President Harry S. Truman after the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. President Truman refers to the site as a Japanese Army base and to the A-bomb's power. He talks about the development of scientific knowledge that has been useful to America and Great Britain in fighting the war and vows to continue bombing Japan. The U.S. Congress is empowered to establish a regulatory commission to control the production and use of atomic energy. President Truman will consider peaceful uses for atomic power.