In the “Line of Position” notebook issued by the U.S. War Department, Capt. Robert A. Lewis, like many military letters, begins with “Dear Mom + Dad.” But this diary, dated August 6, 1945, is unlike any other record of World War II.
Lewis was the co-pilot on the B-29 Enola Gay and was en route from the Pacific island of Tinian to Japan when the recording began. Now his account of the time and aftermath of the dropping of the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, is for sale.
The Washington Post first reported that his “blow-by-blow account,” which included his famous reaction: “Oh my God, what have we done,” had just been sold by Dan Whittemore, a rare book dealer in Pasadena, California.
Price: $950,000.
This will be the fifth time a Lewis record has appeared at auction: the first was sold by Sotheby’s in 1971 for $37,000. Lewis, who was present at the auction, reportedly said he believed the account was historically important, adding that he “didn’t know what else to do with it.”
It sold again at Sotheby’s in 1978 for $85,000; in 2002 at Christie’s for $391,000 (as part of the Malcolm Forbes sale); and in 2022, the Heritage sold for $543,000, according to Whitmore.
(Whitmore Rare Books)
The eight-page report was written at the request of William L. Laurence, a New York Times science writer who won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of what he coined the “atomic age.”
As the official historian of the Manhattan Project, Lawrence was the only reporter to witness the Trinity tests and the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. He was supposed to travel with the crew of the Enola Gay, but by the time he reached the Tinian bomber base it was too late.
During the 12-hour flight from Tinian to Hiroshima and back, Lewis “recorded everything he saw – including sketches of mushroom clouds over the city – and what he and his crew felt – apprehension, confusion, shock, awe – as they entered history,” the rare book dealer said.
Lewis wrote much of it in near-total darkness, and, as he noted, halfway through, he ran out of ink and could only complete his narrative in pencil.
Leaving the Pacific island at 2:25 a.m., Lewis recorded at 7:30 a.m.: “We’re loaded, the bomb is alive now, it’s a funny feeling knowing it’s right behind you. Knock on wood. We started climbing to 30,000 feet… Well, guys, not much time now.”
As the B-29s approached the city, Lewis wrote, “There will be a brief pause while we bomb the target.”
At 8:15 a.m. the Enola Gay dropped the bomb.
Little Boy fell for about 45 seconds without causing any damage and then exploded, killing 70,000 people instantly in the initial explosion. The attack directly killed at least 100,000 people. Over the following weeks, months and even decades, at least 100,000 more people died from illnesses caused by radiation exposure, according to the National Archives.
At that moment, Lewis wrote:
“us [Bob Caron our tail gunner] Great photos were taken and everyone in the store was stunned, and although we expected something intense to happen, it was the actual sight of what we saw that made the staff feel like they were part of Buck Rogers’ 25th Century Warriors. This article about the results of the explosion could go on indefinitely, telling how massive it was, even after an hour [and half.] [400] Miles from target, then billowing smoke arrives [5500] ft. and contains very strange colors. But maybe the remaining Japanese can save me the trouble and let us know. Then we go to ho[m]e is 150° and [our ship] Must have had a great time [but puzzled crew]. The missionaries came home under the same weather conditions and everyone took a nap. “
Lewis was perhaps more reflective, recording in the days after the attack, “I’m sure the entire crew felt that there was more to this experience than anyone could have imagined. It seems incomprehensible. How many people did we kill? To be honest, I have a feeling I’m searching for words to explain this… My God, what did we do. If I live to be a hundred years old, I will never completely get those few minutes out of my mind.”
Lewis recorded this later recollection shortly after the explosion. The yellowed tape is still there, according to Whitmore.
[InAugust194527-year-oldLewiswasaconfidentandfieryyoungmanwithareputationasaskilledpilotandadeterminedladies’manButwhathappenedthatsummerlefthimunsettled[1945年8月，27岁的刘易斯是一位自信而暴躁的年轻人，被誉为熟练的飞行员和坚定的女士男人。但那个夏日发生的事情却让他心神不宁。
In his later years, Lewis viewed sculpture as a form of therapy.
His creation – a mushroom cloud with a stream of blood running down the side – was later given to American psychiatrist Dr Glenn van Wohlbe, who treated Lewis, who appeared to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
According to the Washington Post, Whitmore plans to display the notebook at the New York International Antique Book Fair, which opens on April 30.
While there are two first-hand accounts of the Enola Gay crew’s response to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima—the other being Theodore “Dutch” Van Kirk’s logbook—only Lewis’s log provides a unique emotional commentary on the day’s historical events.
