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And Stalin Smiled
WHEN, on July 24. 1945, President Truman told Stalin of the decision to drop a bomb of unprecedented power on Japan, Stalin— according to the Churchill - account—merely smiled. Curious at this reaction to 'the most solemn event in history,' Charles Curran began some months ago to investigate the subject further, seeking the answers to such questions as, why was the bomb dropped where it was dropped? how much was really known of its power? who was in the secret? and who, if anybody, was the real beneficiary of that pillar of cloud that arose over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945?
Some of the story is familiar; in fragmentary form it has been appearing in war histories, memoirs, diaries and published records. But nobody has previously made a serious attempt to present the available information concisely. within the compass of an article. In a special edition of the Spectator next week, Charles Curran sets out to Provide the material with which readers can themselves answer the ques- tion that still disturbs mankind: need the Hiroshima bomb have been dropped? It is a disturbing story which he has to tell : and it points to a disturbing verdict.
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