THEODORE J. VAN KIRK (b. 1921) American Army Air Corps officer, navigator of the Enola Gay during its mission to Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Superb S.P. 8" x 10" b/w, a reprint of a photo showing the Atomic dome after the Hiroshima devastation, and bearing a lengthy historical note penned at top. In full: "We dropped the bomb at 9:15 am...Although I felt sorry for the people it affected, as long as military targets and civilian targets are close together there will be civilian casualties. Hiroshima was necessary to end the war while preventing an invasion which would have taken many more Japanese and American lives. Theodore J. 'Dutch' Van Kirk Navigator-Enola Gay 6 Aug 1945". Fine.