Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and NagasakiThe atomic bombings of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan were conducted by the United States during the final stages of World War II in 1945. Preliminary research began in 1939, originally in fear that the Nazi atomic bomb project would develop atomic weapons first. Choice of targetsThe mission runs of August 6 and August 9, with Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Kokura (the original target for August 9) displayed. The film crew's work resulted in a three-hour documentary entitled The Effects of the Atomic Bombs Against Hiroshima and Nagasaki. [170]Debate over bombingsCitizens of Hiroshima walk by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, the closest building to have survived the city's atomic bombing.