Presented here are two reproduced front pages from the New York Times relating to the 1945 Enola Gay mission. The Enola Gay, a B-29 Superfortress Bomber, was responsible for dropping the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The first New York Times front page is from August 7th, 1945, and bears the headline “First Atomic Bomb Dropped On Japan; Missile Is Equal To 20,000 Tons Of TNT; Truman Warns Foe Of A ‘Rain Of Ruin’”. This reproduction has been signed by three members of the Enola Gay mission: Paul Tibbets, Morris Jeppson, and Dutch Van Kirk. Each man added an inscription. Jeppson wrote “Weapon Test Officer / Enola Gay Mission”, Tibbets wrote “Pilot”, and Van Kirk wrote “Navigator – Enola Gay / 6 Aug 1945”. The signatures have been written in fine tipped blue marker. This item is accompanied by a LOA from PSA/DNA (AB13915).

     The second front page is from August 9th, 1945. Its headline is “Soviet Declares War On Japan; Attacks Manchuria, Tokyo Says; Atom Bomb Loosed On Nagasaki”. This New York Times reproduced front page has been signed by an additional three members of the atomic bomb mission, Charles Donald Albury, Fred Olivi, and Charles Sweeney. Albury added the inscription “Pilot”, Sweeney signed as “Major Chas W. Sweeney” with the inscription “A/C Commander”, and Olivi added the inscription “Co. Pilot”. The signatures have been written in fine tipped blue marker. This item is accompanied by a LOA from PSA/DNA (AB13911).

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