was congested by a dense collection of small wooden workshops set among
Japanese houses; a few larger industrial plants lay near the outskirts
of the city. The houses were of wooden construction with tile roofs.
Many of the industrial buildings also were of wood frame construction.
The city as a whole was highly susceptible to fire damage.

Some of the reinforced concrete buildings were of a far stronger
construction than is required by normal standards in America, because
of the earthquake danger in Japan. This exceptionally strong
construction undoubtedly accounted for the fact that the framework of
some of the buildings which were fairly close to the center of damage
in the city did not collapse.

The population of Hiroshima had reached a peak of over 380,000 earlier
in the war but prior to the atomic bombing the population had steadily
decreased because of a systematic evacuation ordered by the Japanese
government. At the time of the attack the population was approximately
255,000. This figure is based on the registered population, used by
the Japanese in computing ration quantities, and the estimates of
additional workers and troops who were brought into the city may not be
highly accurate. Hiroshima thus had approximately the same number of
people as the city of Providence, R.I., or Dallas, Tex.

Nagasaki

Nagasaki lies at the head of a long bay which forms the best natural
harbor on the southern Japanese home island of Kyushu. The main
commercial and residential area of the city lies on a small plain near
the end of the bay. Two rivers divided by a mountain spur form the two
main valleys in which the city lies. This mountain spur and the
irregular lay-out of the city tremendously reduced the area of
destruction, so that at first glance Nagasaki appeared to have been
less devastated than Hiroshima.

The heavily build-up area of the city is confined by the terrain to
less than 4 square miles out of a total of about 35 square miles in the
city as a whole.

The city of Nagasaki had been one of the largest sea ports in southern
Japan and was of great war-time importance because of its many and
varied industries, including the production of ordnance, ships,
military equipment, and other war materials. The narrow long strip
attacked was of particular importance because of its industries.

In contrast to many modern aspects of Nagasaki, the residences almost
without exception were of flimsy, typical J