USS Harry Truman (CVN 75) - Naval Cruise Book

The atomic bomb had been perfected in the New Mexico desert, and it was a weapon Truman knew could end the war quickly. It was a single bomb, capable of eradicating an entire city. On July 26, 1945, Truman issued what became known as the Potsdam Declaration. It stated simply that the Japanese armed forces were to surrender unconditionally. The alternative was that Japan would face " prompt and utter destruction. " No mention was made about the bomb. On July 31, with Japan ' s silence a sign that nothing would come of the declaration, Truman sent a coded message to his secretary of war in Washington: " Release when ready but not before August 2. " On August 6, the Enola Gay dropped the world ' s first atomic bomb over the city of Hiroshima. " It was not an easy decision to make, " Truman said. " I did not like the weapon. But I had no qualms if in the long run millions of lives could be saved. " The one bomb was not enough to compel Japan to surrender. A second atomic strike was completed on Nagasaki on August 9. Japan formally surrendered on the USS MISSOURI (BB 63) in Tokyo Bay September Postwar policies On the home front, Truman was confronted with the task of reconversion - the retooling of the nation from a wartime to peacetime economy. On Sept. 6, he presented a 16,000 word message to Congress, calling for a 21 -point domestic program including unemployment compensation, an immediate increase in minimum wage, and tax reform, among others things. Congress fought with Truman over issues, as varying interests fought for their pet projects. Much of what he demanded would come to pass, although some not until years after he left office. Truman also did much for the reorganization of national defense. In July 1947, he signed the National Security Act, which placed all branches of the military under one department and created the Department of the Air Force. The act also created the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council. In 1948, one of the first initiatives by the federal government against segregation was achieved when Truman signed Executive Order 9981. This established the Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services. This significant accomplishment ended segregation within the military. Along with his Secretary of State George C. Marshall, Truman developed an extensive $12 billion aid package for Western Europe known as the " Marshall Plan. " On April 3, 1 948, he signed the Foreign Assistance Act of 1 948, creating the European Recovery Program (ERP) to implement the Marshall Plan for U.S. aid to European recovery. The Ikonomic Cooperation Administration was established to administer the program. The Berlin Airlift Berlin was divided between the allied