ALS, one page, trimmed to 7.25 x 8.5, Executive Jet Aviation Inc. letterhead, January 7, 1985. Letter to an Orthodox minister who asked about extra crew on the Enola Gay. In part: “There were no passengers or ‘observers’ as such. One of the Manhattan technicians flew on one of the escort planes. He had something to do with the Blast gauges and recording equipment they built for the purpose of recording the magnitude of the blast.” In fine condition, with trimming as noted (three corners are rounded, top left corner is clipped), and a couple of creases to top right.
And quite a blast the technician recorded. Forty years after his historic role in ending World War II, Tibbets crafted this response to a question he had undoubtedly been asked a seemingly infinite number of times. Brief and to the point, Tibbets matter-of-factly recounts a few events of August 6, 1945, when the Enola Gay and two escort planes departed from the small Pacific island of Tinian. On board was "Little Boy," an atomic bomb. The target was Hiroshima, Japan, where from an altitude of 31,600 feet, the weapon was released. Less than sixty seconds later, there was a blinding flash of light that grew into a purple fireball. The two escort bombers snapped photographs as they and Enola Gay flew back to Tinian. The planes did not lose sight of the enormous atomic mushroom cloud until they were 363 miles away. A brief yet significant recollection of a 20th Century milestone. RRAuction COA.
