Bombing

1946 · ref. 35974 — Washington DC: GPO 1946. Presumed first edition/first printing thus. Wraps. fair to good. 35 pages wraps cover and pages discolored former owner's stamp on cover and title page. The United States Strategic Bombing Survey was a board of experts assembled to produce an impartial assessment of the effects of Anglo-American strategic bombing of Nazi Germany during the European theatre of World War II. After publishing its report the Survey then turned its attention to the efforts against Imperial Japan during the Pacific War including a separate section on the recent use of the atomic bombs. In total the reports contained 208 volumes for Europe and another 108 for the Pacific comprising thousands of pages. The reports' conclusions were generally favorable about the contributions of Allied strategic bombing towards victory calling it "decisive". Although most of the Survey's members were military about one-third of the 1000-member group were civilians. While the Board was not associated with any branch of the military it was established by the U.S. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson and chaired by a civilian Franklin D'Olier. The Survey's complement provided for 300 civilians 350 officers and 500 enlisted men. The military segment of the organization was drawn from the Army to the extent of 60 percent and from the Navy to the extent of 40 percent. Both the Army and the Navy gave the Survey all possible assistance in furnishing men supplies transport and information. The Survey operated from headquarters established in Tokyo early in September 1945 with subheadquarters in Nagoya Osaka Hiroshima and Nagasaki and with mobile teams operating in other parts of Japan the islands of the Pacific and the Asiatic mainland. It was possible to reconstruct much of wartime Japanese military planning and execution engagement by engagement and campaign by campaign and to secure reasonably accurate statistics on Japan's economy and war-production plant by plant and industry by industry. In addition studies were conducted on Japan's over-all strategic plans and the background of her entry into the war the internal discussions and negotiations leading to her acceptance of unconditional surrender the course of health and morale among the civilian population the effectiveness of the Japanese civilian defense organization and the effects of the atomic bombs. Separate reports will be issued covering each phase of the study. The Survey interrogated more than 700 Japanese military Government and industrial officials. It also recovered and translated many documents which have not only been useful to the Survey but will also furnish data valuable for other studies. Arrangements have been made to turn over the Survey's files to the Central Intelligence Group through which they will be available for further examination and distribution. The present report was prepared by the Chairman's Office under the editorship of Commander Walter Wilds USNR. GPO paperback