Photography & Ephemera

[MANHATTAN PROJECT]. Three rare internal mimeographed letters and telegrams following the atomic bombing of Japan. 1945. Comprising: copy of a telegram from Leslie Groves days after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, stating that the “declaration of cessation of hostilities with Japan” does not alter previous “security limitations” applying to members of the Manhattan Project (15 August 1945). – copy of a letter to employees of the Metallurgical Laboratory from Farrington Daniels and W.M. Branch emphasizing the importance of following “security regulations” even in light of possible imminent surrender of Japan (10 Aug 1945). – copy of a letter to men and women of the Manhattan District Project from Under Secretary of War Robert Patterson, the day following the bombing of Hiroshima, in part: “Today the whole world knows the secret which you have helped us keep for many months…I speak for a grateful nation when I say congratulations and thank you all.” Each piece retained in an envelope addressed to Robert Olund at “RY 145” (i.e., Ryerson Hall, University of Chicago). Rare internal communication documenting the secrecy and security measures surrounding the Manhattan Project in the immediate aftermath of the dropping of the atomic bomb. [Also with]: a fourth, empty mailing cover addressed to Olund, postmarked 19 January 1946 from the University of Chicago Office of the Comptroller.