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Interim Committee
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Interim Committee

United States history
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The Interim Committee was a U.S. advisory group established in 1945 to recommend how to deal with the atomic bomb. Headed by Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson and James Byrnes, this committee of statesmen and scientists advised President Harry S. Truman on the use of the atomic bomb against Japan. After several meetings, the committee recommended using the bomb as soon as possible and rejected calls for advance warning.1

The committee's recommendations aligned with Truman's inclination to end World War II quickly. The context included the intense fighting in the Pacific, the high projected casualties for an invasion of Japan, and the desire for a swift victory following Germany's surrender. The Manhattan Project, which developed the atomic bomb, had its origins in 1939 and involved significant scientific research and development, culminating in the first atomic bomb test in 1945.12

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2 Britannica Sources
  1. Timeline of the Manhattan Project
  2. The decision to use the atomic bomb

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