Hiroshima story—for $37,000

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32774, 26 November 1971, Page 9

Hiroshima story—for $37,000

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) NEW YORK, November 25. A handwritten log kept by the co-pilot of the 829 bomber Enola Gay during its mission to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was sold at auction at the ParkeBernet Gallery, New York, for $37,000, the New York Times News Service reports.

The notebook was bought by Mr David Kirschenbaum, a dealer in rare books and manuscripts, after tense bidding against an unknown bidder.

Bidding, which was begun at $lO,OOO rose in $lOOO jumps; a Parke-Bernet employee standing at the back of the room took instructions

by teelphone from the anonymous bidder.

Mr Robert Lewis, co-pilot on the historic mission, watched the proceedings. Mr Lewis, who is now a factory manager, said that he decided to sell the notebook because “experts in the field have described it as one of the most historical documents of our era. And I 1

didn’t know what else to do with it.”

Mr Lewis said that he was advised during debriefing after the flight to keep the notebook to himself. He lent it to Mr William Laurence, science editor of the "New York Times,” who apparently was not able to use the descriptions for security reasons, and then marked it “hold for top-secret clearance” and put it in a safe deposit. The log, much of which was written in the dark on the back of War Department forms as the 829 flew through the pre-dawn towards Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, was kept at the request of Mr Laurence, who was unable to board the flight at the last minute.

It is not clear why Mr Laurence, who was the only reporter aboard the plane that bombed Nagasaki a few days later, was not on the flight. In the notebook, Mr Lewis wrote that Mr Laurence “had been ordered to be aboard, but this request was not put in.”

Mr Laurence, who later edited the notebook, changed the sentence to read .“but he arrived in Tinian (the departure point) too late.” Mr Lewis said the crew of

the Enola Gay had been briefed about its mission and shown pictures of the atomic bomb tests at Alamagordo, New Mexico. 'He had also seen the 20ft-long, 90001 b bomb before it was loaded into the plane. Description of flight The following are excerpts from the notebook: "At 0730 we loaded. The bomb is now alive and it’s a funny feeling knowing it’s right in back of you. Knock wood.”

“We started our climb to 30,000 feet at 0740. Well, folks it’s not long now. . . “Right now we are 85 miles from the Empire and everyone has a big hopeful look on his face as we are approaching our LP. (Initial Point). Ferebee, Van Kirk and Stiborik are coming into their own while the colonel and I are standing by and are giving the boys what they want.” “A brief blow-by-blow description of the bomb run: We turned off our LP. and had about a four-minute run on a perfectly open target T. Ferebee (the bombardier) synchronised on his briefed A.P. (Aiming Point) and let go. “For the next minute noone knew what would happen ... about 15 seconds

after the flash there were two very distinct slaps; that was all the physical effect we felt.

“We then turned the ship so we could observe results and then in. front of our eyes was without a doubt the greatest explosion man has ever witnessed.

“The city was 90 per cent covered with smoke and a large column of white cloud which in less than three minutes reached 30,000 feet and then went at least 50,000 feet.

“How many did we kill?” “I am certain the entire crew> felt this experience was more than anyone human had ever.thought possible. It just seemed impassible to comprehend. “Just how many Japs did we kill? I honestly have the feeling of groping for words to explain this, or I might say, my God, what have we done?

“If I live a hundred years, I’ll never quite get these few minutes out of my mind. . . “Everyone on the ship is actually dumbstruck, even though we had expected something fierce. It was the actual sight that we saw that caused the crew to feel that they were part of Buck Rogers” 25th century warriors.”