Poll Results of the Chicago Scientists

To: A. H. Compton

From: Farrington Daniels

Re: Poll on the use of weapon

 

Following the suggestion of your letter, AC-2757, I took copies of excerpts of your letter individually to the eight different section chiefs and asked them to show the questions individually to some of the members of their group. these extracts which went to the section chiefs were marked "Secret", delivered in person, and all copies returned and destroyed.

Each person polled read the questions and placed in an envelope the number which most closely represented his choice. All balloting was done on Thursday afternoon, July 18. The ballots were returned to me, and the counts are as follows:

Suggestion No.:	No. of Votes:	% of Total Votes:
(1)	23	15
(2)	69	46
(3)	39	26
(4)	16	11
(5)	3	2
	150	100

The Argonne Laboratory and the Patent Division were not polled. Approximately 2/3 of the remaining academic personnel voted.

The suggested procedures were as follows:

(1) Use the weapon in the manner that is from the military point of view most effective in bringing about prompt Japanese surrender at minimum human cost to our armed forces.

(2) Give a military demonstration in Japan, to be followed by renewed opportunity for surrender before full use of the weapon is employed.

(3) Given an experimental demonstration in this country, with representatives of Japan present; followed by a new opportunity for surrender before full use of the weapons is employed.

(4) Withhold military use of the weapons, but make public experimental demonstration of their effectiveness.

(5) Maintain as secret as possible all development of our new weapons, and refrain from using them in this war.