The Atom Bomb Essay, Research Paper

Chapter I – “Jewish Physics”

When Adolf Hitler began his rise to power in the early 1930’s, he also began his persecution of the Jews. As a result of his policies, many scientists left Europe for the safety of the United States. This intellectual tide was taking place when scientists on either side of the Atlantic were discovering the secrets of the atom. In 1932, Sir James Chadwick discovered the neutron, a few months later Hitler rose to power. Both events sent large tidal waves through the scientific community. Hitler’s Anti-Semitic stance forced many noted German and Eastern European scientists to flee to England and the United States. Albert Einstein whose theory of relativity had been denounced as “Jewish physics,” left Berlin in late 1933 for the Institute of Advanced Studies at Princeton.

Atomic fission was discovered three months after Hitler annexed Czechoslovakia. Scientists the world over, wondered whether atomic fission would stay isolated in the lab, or be expanded into a weapon of mass destruction. With the start of Hitler’s blitzkrieg attack on Poland, a group of European ex-patriot scientists gathered in the US with the intent of gaining an upper hand on nuclear fission before Hitler and his henchmen could. “If such a weapon is going to be made, we must do it first. We can’t afford not to.” (1)

Chapter II – The American Manhattan Project

In 1941, a coalition of physicists persuaded the U.S. Government to support research on and construction of an atom bomb. A year later, the army was given the responsibility of supervising the atomic research program. Under the army’s direction, a bomb building laboratory and the supporting physical plants were soon built and operational, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and Hanford, Washington.

The Los Alamos site was the Manhattan Projects special weapons laboratory, which would actually put the bomb together. “When one considers how many people worked at Los Alamos itself, let along the Manhattan Project in general, the army’s success in concealing its purpose was phenomenal. It became the “best kept secret of the war.” (2)

With the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944 came the truth on just how much the Germans had progressed with their Atomic Program. As towns and cities were overrun by advancing allied units, Major Boris T. Pash and his “Alsos” unit were given the task to uncover the amount of research done. By December of 1944, the unit had concluded “The Germans did not have anything like an atomic bomb.” (3) Hitler, who was blind to the awe-inspiring power of the bomb, had concentrated more on the development of his long-range ballistic missiles, the V1 and V2. Also it was concluded that the Germans had made a series of political and theoretical blunders in the development of the project. The Germans were found to be at least two years behind the Americans, The German a-bomb project was a failure.

Chapter III – V-E Day and the Trinity Test

With the war against the tyrannical Nazi’s over in the west, the allied forces now turned their attention on the Japanese in the Pacific. “But there is another foe who occupies large portions of the British Empire, a foe stained with cruelty and greed-the Japanese. ” (4) May 8, 1945, known as V-E Day, or Victory in Europe came as just another normal day for those diligent workers at the Los Alamos nuclear site. “I don’t think that there was any other time that we worked harder at the speed up than in the period after the German surrender and the actual combat use of the bomb.” (5)

There were two different types of atom bombs used. The first, originally named “Thin Man,” after Roosevelt, but later changed to “Little Boy,” after no one, utilized the rare isotope U – 235. The other bomb, nicknamed “Fat Man,” after Churchill used plutonium. The later bomb was more powerful, but the detonation procedure was very complex. Many scientists, such as George B. Kistiakowsky argued for a field test. The director of the Manhattan project, Major General Leslie R. Groves, was fiercely opposed, but later consented, after much persuasion. A huge container nicknamed “Jumbo” was created to abet some of Grove’s fears. If there were a nuclear explosion, Jumbo would be vaporized. However, if not, the container would be strong enough to contain the volatile plutonium from spreading all over the countryside. The only task left at hand was to find a suitable site, remote enough from civilization to test the bomb.

On July 16, 1945, at 5:30 A.M. at the Trinity Test Site on the Alamogordo Air Base, New Mexico, the world’s first atomic bomb was exploded. The first of its kind, it was an implosion – type bomb that used plutonium to fuel its nuclear explosion. The scientists had no idea of its destructive capability or if it would work at all.

The test was a complete success. The light from the bomb was seen as far away as Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Silver City, some 180 miles away. The sound was heard to about 125 miles away. Only a few windows were shattered, but those were at that great of a distance. The resulting explosion also left a huge crater in the ground, which contained very finely pulverized dirt.

Chapter IV – Dropping the Mighty Giant

The United States dropped the world’s first Atomic bomb on the Japanese City of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and a second bomb on Nagasaki three days later. Ever since then, policy analysts, commentators, and all others involved in the making and dropping of the bomb have debated the necessity and morality of using such a weapon of mass destruction.

The question to drop the bomb, was never really one. President Truman later said, “Let there be no mistake about it. I regarded the bomb as a military weapon and never had any doubt that it should be used.” When asked about the necessity of dropping the bomb, most American people who remember the war will say yes. More American soldiers were dying by the day, due to the viscous series of island hopping campaigns throughout the Pacific. The Japanese soldiers on those islands were firmly entrenched and would fight until the last man standing was dead. An invasion of the Japanese main land would cause millions of casualties. Still other people would say that Japan was on its final stretch. With Stalin’s Armies entering the war Japan would more than likely capitulate. However, Stalin was unwilling to enter the fray unless he could be guaranteed victory. He would have to transport his forces halfway around the world. It is more than likely that Stalin only entered the war when the might of the atomic bomb was shown, and victory was insight.

Japan was issued an ultimatum on July the 26th for unconditional surrender or “the bomb” would be dropped. The Premier of Japan, Kantaro Suzuki, refuted our attempts to end the war without more bloodshed, and continued to fight. On August 6th and 9th the Enola Gay, piloted by Colonel Tibbets took off and proceeded to drop its nuclear payload over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Chapter V – Justification and Conclusion

Shortly after the two atomic bombs were dropped on Japanese soil, the jittery high that was felt by the American public over the end of the war began to be tinged with doubts over the morality of the mass killing of civilians. Many newspapers and magazine editorials argued that the dropping was both unjust and immoral.

The unconditional surrender of all Japanese forces occurred one day after the bombing of Nagasaki on August the 10th, 1945. The jubilant state of many Americans would soon be over come with fear, as a new Red Threat arose on the horizon. The Cold War, initiated with the Soviet explosion of their own nuclear weapon, started a massive nuclear arms buildup that lasted until the crumbling of the Soviet Regime in the late 1980’s.

The question to use the bomb is one that is played out in the minds of many, over and over again. The planned invasion force of Japan, by using “conventional” means would have included up to, and exceeding 5,000,000 armed troops. It is agreed that American forces would have experienced more than 1,000,000 casualties, with that of the Japanese being significantly higher. The use of the bomb was therefore a quick alternative, only accumulating a fraction of the casualties than were expected. Nearly 220,000 people were killed by these two bombs. However the effects of radiation and nuclear fall-out are still being felt by the very young and elderly in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Thousands of tons of radioactive dust and particles were spewed over the surrounding are for hundreds of miles, destroying wild life and human life in the same.

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