“It’s really hard to talk about morality and war in the same sentence.
We were fighting an enemy that had a reputation for never surrendering, never accepting defeat. Van Kirk explained in a 1995 interview with the New York Times: “Under the same circumstances – and the key words are ‘the same circumstances’ – yes, I would do it again. The bombing is said to have dramatically shortened the war, forcing the Japanese to surrender. 'By 0931 they were flying over Mishima, and just past 29° 43′ E 137° 03′ E, a little over an hour and a half later, Van Kirk notes ’10:52 – Cloud Gone’.' The log features a detailed description of the attack, as Sotheby’s relates: 'At 0915½ (30 seconds past 8:15am Hiroshima local time) in the position field Van Kirk notes the action that would end the war and change the world forever, ‘Bomb Away’, further writing in the remarks field ‘Circle E of Target.’ Navigator Captain Theodore 'Dutch' Van Kirk, who died in 2014, was the final surviving member of the Enola Gay’s crew.
It starred in sale of Americana and books and manuscripts. The original log kept by the navigator of the Enola Gay made $372,500 at Sotheby’s New York on December 6.
