The most famous words from the log that the author chose to excerpt are from the section revealing the co-pilot’s reaction to the explosion: “My God.” Laurence eventually quoted a portion of the material in his 1946 book Dawn Over Zero: The Story of the Atomic Bomb. The journalist could not immediately use Lewis’s descriptions due to security restrictions, so he marked the notebook “hold for top secret clearance” and placed it in a safe deposit box. But after several days, during which he performed some additional writing (dated August 10, 1945), the officer honored his commitment and loaned the notebook to Laurence. Upon the Enola Gay’s safe return to the base at Tinian, Lewis was advised during the debriefing to keep his freelance document to himself.
Post-atomic debriefing: Lewis is on the right with clipboard & cigarette
