8th August 1945
Hello Margie,
Received your letter some time ago and was very glad to hear from you. Don't have your letter here just now, but will try to get off a few lines anyhow.
Suppose you have heard the news about the new Atomic Bomb by now. Some stuff, huh? It is definitely the most wonderful thing to happen in the 20th Century.
You have often asked what I am doing and where I am stationed etc. Well, now I can tell you a little bit anyhow. I am stationed at Los Alamos, just outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico. We are engaged in making the Atomic Bomb. All the research on the subject was done here. This is probably the most modernly equipped and the largest laboratory in the US. It has been a very secret project; and the best kept secret of the war. Even the people in Santa Fe didn't know what was going on here. All they knew was that there was some kind of project up in the mountains and that there was a lot of activity there. Everyone was making wild guesses, and some came fairly close, but no one was sure. And now that the secret has been let out, this is probably one of the most famous little cities in the world. Outside of Hiroshima, of course, where the damage was done.
A few weeks ago we had an experimental bomb south of Albuquerque at the Alamogordo Army Air Base. You no doubt read about that. Well, I was one of a fortunate few that witnessed it. It was a sight that I'll never forget as long as I live. The "thing" created the brightest light and the loudest roar of anything yet known to man. It has been called one of the most fiendish things known to man, and I can heartily agree to it. It is terrible, and I certainly thankful that we were the ones that discovered it first.
We have quite a few GIs here and also a lot of civilians. Due to that fact, it makes it a bit different than a regular army camp. We have a veritable city of our own here complete with movies, stores, and PX's . It is hidden away in the mountains and ÿ
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