Would Franklin D. Roosevelt have given the orders to drop the atom bomb if he would have been the president of America for the entire course of the war?

Franklin D. Roosevelt or FDR as he is commonly called, was known to be very secretive and private. Compared to other politicians and leaders, FDR did not keep notes nor did he write many letters. Therefore, it’s difficult to know if he would have given the order to drop the atom bomb. What is clear is that FDR was responsible for the development of the bomb. He formed a committee to research uranium and then approved a pilot program to further develop the research into uranium enrichment and reactor design. Lastly, he tasked the US Army Corps of Engineers to lead efforts to figure out how to actually design and produce the bomb.

According to the Hyde Park-Aide Memoire which describes a meeting between FDR and Churchville, “…when a ‘bomb’ is finally available, it might perhaps, after mature consideration, be used against the Japanese, who should be warned that this bombardment will be repeated until they surrender.”