Letters from the Crew of the Enola Gay

A Top-Secret Mission 

On August 6th, 1945, people across the world were shocked to learn that an atomic bomb had been dropped on Hiroshima. Very few people, including American military personnel, knew about the top-secret operation. The entire operation—from the bomb's conception to the test launch—was conducted with utmost confidentiality. Only four of the twelve crew members who carried out the Hiroshima mission understood just how powerful the bomb they were carrying was. 

A Sense of Duty  

As soldiers engaged in the violent theatre of war, the crew members of the Enola Gay were, first and foremost, concerned with executing orders. Only later would they learn of their mission's impact. For the rest of their lives, they would grapple with their fateful role in World War II. 

Letters Sent Years After Hiroshima  

These letters, sent decades after the Hiroshima mission, convey how dangerous the operation was. Brig. General Paul Tibbets explained in his 1993 letter that the crew were offered cyanide pills to commit suicide in case there was an enemy air attack or they were captured by the Japanese. Col. George "Bob" Caron describes how the crew wore 'extra dark polaroid glasses' to protect themselves from the flash and had to rapidly fly away from Hiroshima after dropping the bomb to avoid the dangerous radioactive cloud. 

Col. Caron explained in another letter what many of the crew members believed: that dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki prevented a far more deadly ground invasion of Japan. The Enola Gay crew, the US government, and most Americans believed this for many years. 

These letters speak to the varied memories and opinions that the Enola Gay crew had about their Hiroshima Mission. The letters are an important reminder that the crew members were humans who lived multifaceted and complex lives after the bombing.