August 2020 Auction Ends Thursday, August 27th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/27/2020
Interesting statement by Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay, after they dropped the bomb on Hiroshima during World War II. Signed ''Paul Tibbets'' in blue felt-tip at the conclusion, statement is an excerpt from a ''USA Today'' interview, reading in part, ''All of us had been under tension for probably 24 hours or longer, and we had done what we were supposed to do. We knew we had been successful, so we relaxed...so I folded up and went to sleep for about two hours...'' He pushes back on the interviewer's statement that it was ''amazing'' that he could sleep, stating, ''No, it's not amazing. Adrenaline pumps fast when you're under pressure...after it gets over, there's a big letdown -- and that's exactly what I experienced...'' He then continues, ''When I saw what the results of the city of Hiroshima were, there was no doubt in my mind but that it was going to end [the war] pretty quickly, before we had to bomb Nagasaki. But now I understand that the control at that time was basically in the hands of the imperial staff, and the imperial staff didn't want to let the emperor know that they were going to lose a war, and they just didn't want to give up at that time. It took the Nagasaki bomb to convince them. That's when I think the right man, the emperor, stepped in and said the war was over. [signed] Paul Tibbets''. Single page measures 8.5'' x 11''. Near fine condition.
Paul Tibbets Signed Statement Regarding Dropping the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima During World War II -- Including How He Took a Nap Afterwards
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