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This comprehensive report, issued by The United States Strategic Bombing Survey and published by the Government Printing Office in 1946, documents the devastating impact of the atomic bombings on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6th and August 9th, 1945. Compiled to offer a factual analysis, the contents detail the dire consequences of these unprecedented attacks. Originally established in 1944 to evaluate aerial attacks on Germany, the Survey's mandate was expanded by President Truman shortly after the bombings to include a thorough assessment of nuclear weaponry.

The report provides detailed summaries of the damage to both human lives and property, augmented by photographs, operational descriptions of the bombs, comparative evaluations of their effectiveness against conventional weaponry, and strategic recommendations for nuclear defense. A particularly sobering excerpt states: "The most striking result of the atomic bombs was the great number of casualties…most of the immediate casualties did not differ from those caused by incendiary or high-explosive raids. The outstanding difference was the presence of radiation effects, which became unmistakable about a week or so after the bombing." The report estimates casualties to range between 140,000 and 160,000 (both dead and injured) for Hiroshima and approximately 80,000 total for Nagasaki, acknowledging that other estimates significantly exceed these numbers, reaching upwards of 250,000.

Two large folding maps are integral to this report, providing graphic representations of the destruction. The first map, approximately 18.5″ x 18.5″, delineates the extent of fire and blast damage around Hiroshima, with concentric circles marking structural damage over a radius exceeding 4 miles from Ground Zero. The second, significantly larger, map at approximately 47.5″ x 24″, uses various colors to demarcate the levels of damage throughout Nagasaki, extending over 3 miles from Ground Zero, and labels significant locations such as schools, hospitals, and military installations, highlighting the indiscriminate nature of the destruction across civilian and military areas alike.