USPS 50th Anniversary End of WWII Cinderella Atomic Bomb

 

USPS in 1994, as part of their 50th Anniversary since the end of WWII, planned to use a poster stamp to commemorate the use of the atomic bomb. After protests from Japanese government officials and intervention by President Clinton, the USPS rescinded the planned stamp commemorating the swift conclusion of WWII through the use of atomic bombs. Instead, a stamp of President Harry Truman announcing the use of atomic bombs was used.

This is the only commemorative stamp ever rescinded by the USPS. Ironically, the announcement was made public by the White House on 7 December 1994, exactly 53 years to the day after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor.

The detonation of the atomic bomb called "Little Boy" over Hiroshima, Japan on 6 August 1945 killed between 90,000-140,000 people either instantly or within a few days of the blast.  The bomb was dropped by a US B-29 Superfortress named "Enola Gay", piloted by Colonel Paul W. Tibbets and targeted Hiroshima, Japan. A second bomb was later dropped on Nagasaki. This led to the surrender of Japan to the Allies in World War II in August of 1945.

As a result of the controversy, the stamp became what in the philatelic world is known as a cinderella stamp. This particular stamp is in mint, never hinged condition as issued in 1995. It was not released by the USPS and therefore remains not valid for postage.