VIRTUAL Thursday, September 30th 2021 3:45 – 4:45 p.m. WEBEX Speaker: Alan B. Carr Laboratory’s Senior Historian Secure Information Services (WRS-SIS) Los Alamos National Laboratory “Clouds Over Kokura: The Atomic Strike Against Nagasaki and the End of World War II” Abstract: On August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb was detonated over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, a second bomb was detonated over Nagasaki. On 14 August, Imperial Japan announced an armistice and fighting soon ended. But is there more to the story? Why wasn’t a demonstration of the atomic bomb performed before the combat strikes? Were the Japanese warned? Why was a second bomb used? Why was Nagasaki selected as the target? Did the mission go smoothly? What role did the use of atomic bombs play, if any, in ending the war? On 30 September, LANL Historian Alan B. Carr will explore these questions in his lecture, Clouds Over Kokura: The Atomic Strike Against Nagasaki and the End of World War II. Bio: Alan B. Carr was hired by Los Alamos National Laboratory in 2003 after completing his graduate work in history at Texas Tech University. As an historian, he has appraised thousands of sets of records held by Laboratory organizations for historical value. Over the years, Alan has produced several publications pertaining to the Manhattan Project, nuclear weapons testing and the Laboratory's development during the Cold War years. He has lectured for numerous professional organizations and been featured as a guest on many local, national and international radio and television programs. He currently serves as a Program Manager and the Senior Historian for the Laboratory. Alan B. Carr was honored recipient of the 2020 Individual Distinguished Performance Award which are awarded to individuals “recognized for their dedication, effort and outstanding sustained performance. These individuals helped support our transformation science in a safe, secure workplace.” https://int.lanl.gov/news/news_stories/2021/september/0908-alan-carr-dpa.shtml