Dating to 1965, this documentary film "The Decision to Drop the Bomb" takes a look at the most difficult decision in President Harry Truman's term in office: the decision as to whether or not to use the newly-developed atomic bomb against Japan. The film was produced by Fred Freed for NBC-TV and narrated by Chet Huntley. The film begins the moment that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt dies in office. The new president, Harry S. Truman, has only served in office for a brief time. People react in the streets to the news of the FDR's passing 1:35. Flag flies at half-mast 1:54. People stand outside the White House as Harry S. Truman takes the oath of office 2:10. Secretary of War Henry L Stimson, the sole cabinet member to know about the Manhattan Project, is shown 2:35. McGeorge Bundy speaks to the camera 2:48. The Pentagon is shown 3:20. Leslie Groves 3:31. E. R. Stettinius, Jr. walks out of a government building. Congressmen are shown in the chamber 4:05. Leo Szilard was a Hungarian-German-American physicist and inventor – father of the bomb project 4:20. Tape recorder is shown 4:27. The wife of Leo Szilard reads to the camera, the thoughts of her former husband, on the bomb 4:37. Harry Truman speaks to Congress for the first time 5:45. Soldiers are seen in Europe 6:36. The war in the atolls against the Japanese is shown 7:06. Oak Ridge Tennessee, a soldier walks the post 7:26. Man working inside a plant 7:45. Oak Ridge is manufacturing Uranium-235 7:58. McGeorge Bundy speaks to the camera 8:20. General Groves reflects about his time working on the bomb 9:05. Harry Truman is shown 9:33. The war in Europe continues in Berlin 9:40. McGeorge Bundy speaks to the camera 10:15. The war in Europe is over and Europe is in ruins 10:52. McGeorge Bundy speaks to the camera 11:15. Generals discuss war against Japan 12:20. The Joint Chiefs of Staff 12:35. Planes drop bombs on Japan 13:00. The Imperial Palace 13:20. Advisor to the Emperor, Koichi Kido speaks to the camera 13:29. Colonel Hayashi of Japan 14:04. Stimson and Truman walk in the garden 14:39. General Groves speaks to the camera 14:50. Japan tries to dig out from the bombing 15:43. The city is decimated 15:55. R. Gordon Arneson speaks to the camera 16:15. Dr. Robert Oppenheimer 16:55. James F Byrnes 17:22. R. Gordon Arneson speaks to the camera 17:30. Dr. James Conant 18:20. U.S. planes fly over Tokyo dropping bombs 18:45. Hero’s welcome for Dwight Eisenhower 19:15. Generals and politicians arrive at the White House 19:35. The Joint Chiefs 19:45. Lt. General Seizo Arisue of Japan 20:06. Dead bodies on the field of war 20:35. B-29s on the runway 20:59. The newly-built Pentagon is shown 21:15. John McCloy 21:20. Ralph Bard, Undersecretary of the Navy 21:37. Dr. Robert Oppenheimer 22:16. Dr. George Kistiakowsky 23:17. The cruiser USS Augusta at sea. The president watches a boxing match 24:53. Aerial view of Japanese city in ashes 25:00. Joseph Stalin 25:24. Truman at sea 25:36. Alamogordo, New Mexico, the atomic bomb test site 25:44. The scientists inside the base at Alamogordo 26:39. General Groves speaks to the camera 27:00. Dr. Kenneth Bainbridge 27:13. Dr. Donald Hornig 27:27. Mushroom cloud of the first test of the bomb 27:50. The cloud climbs into the sky 28:20. Robert Oppenheimer speaks after the bomb explodes 28:35. Aerial view of bomb site after the test 29:35. The meeting of the big three commences; Joseph Stalin is seen 30:40. Potsdam 31:00. Truman speaks at the podium 31:50. The big three sit in the garden 32:07. B-29s arrive on the tarmac 32:15. John McCloy speaks to the camera 33:07. Aerial view of bombed out Japanese towns 34:35. Truman leaves Potsdam 35:25. Truman aboard the Augusta 35:47. General Thomas Farrell 35:52. The Enola Gay takes off with the bomb, destined for Hiroshima 36:36. The destruction of Hiroshima 37:00. An NBC feature. Edited for education and presented by Encyclopedia Britannica Films. . We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: "01:00:12:00 -- President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference." This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com