The Manhattan Project, the most secret government project in U.S. history, that we know of, so secret that even the Vice President did not know it existed. Yes, the atomic bombs. The Manhattan Project came to life in 1942. In charge of the project was General Leslie Groves and physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. The top secret project was being worked on in five locations across the country, employed thousands of workers, and costed three billion dollars. A few things happened after the United States dropped the bombs on Japan. First off, it set a major mark in world history, it ended World War II, and it changed the thought of war. After the world saw the effects of a nuclear bomb, many, developed, country began working on creating one …show more content…
During the cold war tensions were tight with the thought of nukes and the complete destruction of Earth. The primary sources in this chapter describe the decision and effects of dropping the nuclear bombs on Japan: a petition to the president from the scientific advisory panel, a press release by President Truman, a photograph of the destruction in Hiroshima, surveys on the effectiveness of the bombing and from Japanese leaders, and an eye witness account of the Hiroshima bombing from Father Johannes Siemes. These documents show the impact that the atomic bombs had, not only on Japan, but also on the U.S. when talking about the thought of using such a weapon of mass destruction and the thoughts of regret for using the nukes. The petition from the scientific advisory panel, to President Truman, was to make sure that him and Japan knew the full outcome from using this weapon and even arguing against using it. In Truman’s press release, he explains to the public the development of the bomb, how powerful it is, and the reason for its use. The picture in Hiroshima just show how destructive and devastating the blast was. The surveys provide evidence that the U.S. did not need to use the atomic bombs, based on information recovered …show more content…
He continues to talk about the nuclear bomb and how effective it is. He then states that their leaders rejected the Potsdam Declaration and that that’s why we dropped the bomb, which will be followed with an all-out invasion if they don’t surrender. After that Truman mentions how in the future this new technology could be used as an auxiliary power source. The audience in this source is the entire world. Truman is explaining his reasoning for the damage caused by the bomb and telling everyone that the United States have it. The purpose is to show the world that the U.S. is the strongest military power, because they are a nuclear power. In the last part of the press release Truman is making it a point that nuclear energy can be harnessed for constructive purposes, instead of just a destructive weapon. The third primary document is a photograph taken in Hiroshima. The picture shows a guy standing in the middle of all the rubble in the city, after the first bomb was dropped. The trees are all burned and the only thing still standing is a part of a single building. The bomb devastated Hiroshima and killed 70 to 80 thousand people. The audience for this picture, is really anyone that sees it, whether its posted in a book, magazine, or newspaper. The purpose for it is to show everyone the tremendous amount of damage that was caused
As long as there is love, there will be hatred; as long as there is peace, there will be war, and as long as there is a positive side, there is a negative side. During the Second World War, the Nazis were very powerful. Due to the fear of the Nazis, Americans started a project called “The Manhattan Project" in order to build a very deadly weapon that could even blow cities apart. The allied powers were so concerned with Nazi domination, that they never considered the outcomes of creating an atomic bomb which are also positive and negative.
The quicker the war ended, the less casualties Americans would suffer. Second, he sought to justify the money and effort that was put into the Manhattan Project. If he did not use the bomb, people would blame him for the lives lost towards the end of the war because he withheld such a powerful weapon. Third, using the bomb would impress the Soviets, make them more subordinate to American desires, and improve overall relations with them. Fourth, Truman realized he lacked reasons to avoid using the bomb. In the military, diplomatic, and political sense, the bomb was the best route. Morality would be the only issue, but these were not a major preventive. Lastly, Truman claimed the Japanese were like a beast and the only way to deal with them was to treat them like a beast. After the attacks on Pearl Harbor, hatred had been built up against the Japanese. This hate diminished any hesitation Truman may have experienced in his decision to drop the
The atomic bomb created under the Manhattan Project set a new level of psychological panic. It influence media, government, and daily lives of those all around the world. The media was covering stories about protection from a nuclear attack and the government was right next to the reporters helping to further the creation of fear with their messages about preparation.
The United States of America’s use of the atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has spurred much debate concerning the necessity, effectiveness, and morality of the decision since August 1945. After assessing a range of arguments about the importance of the atomic bomb in the termination of the Second World War, it can be concluded that the use of the atomic bomb served as the predominant factor in the end of the Second World War, as its use lowered the morale, industrial resources, and military strength of Japan. The Allied decision to use the atomic bomb not only caused irreparable physical damage on two major Japanese cities, but its use also minimized the Japanese will to continue fighting. These two factors along
One of the most argued topics today, the end of World War II and the dropping of the atomic bombs still rings in the American ear. Recent studies by historians have argued that point that the United States really did not make the right choice when they chose to drop the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Also with the release of once classified documents, we can see that the United States ...
Truman’s decision to use atomic weapons has long been a controversial subject throughout the decades after he used it. Many scholars and people who surrounded the president at the time published memoirs and books about the decision to use the weapon. As years went, more works of writing and information were released which added more information to the vast knowledge we have of the decision to drop the bomb and of what the Japanese faced after the event took place. J. Samuel Walker wrote a book called Prompt & utter destruction which uses new knowledge gained about the bomb and new information the Japanese released, which Walker said, “has greatly enriched our understanding of the agonizing deliberations in Tokyo over ending the war” (ix).Walker did not take any sides in the book, however, he uses what material from the first book and new sources of information to evaluate why President Truman made his decision. The main focus of Walker’s book is to answer why President Truman used atomic bombs against Japan and open more discussion to the question “was the bomb militarily necessary or was it used primarily for political/diplomatic reasons that had more to do with impressing the Soviets than winning the war against Japan?” (xii), which Walker said the question “divided specialists” (xii).
The Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research project, that created the United States first nuclear weapon, and led to its creation of the nuclear department during World War II. M.A.U.D. / M.A.U.D. group was created in 1940. Also, M.A.U.D was the secret name given to the group and it came from a phrase in a message from Niel Bohr (Cohen). This group produced a report that said that producing a fission bomb was possible. James Chadwick, a new member of the British M.A.U.D group, later wrote that at that time he realized that a nuclear bomb was able to be built in his lifetime.
Atomic Bomb in World War 2 During World War II the United States government launched a $2 billion project. This project, known as the Manhattan Project, was an effort to produce an atomic bomb. This project was taken on by a group atomic scientists from all over the world.
Powers, Thomas. "THE BOMB : Hiroshima: Changing the Way We Think About War." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 06 Aug. 1995. Web. 10 Jan. 2014.
The decision to inaugurate the nuclear age by dropping an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima was one of the most momentous acts of the twentieth century. To this day the wisdom of that decision is still a subject of controversy.1 The bomb was developed in great secrecy. This momentous decision that affected the entire planet was made by only a select few. In America, with its democratic government, the whole country finds itself responsible for the actions of its leaders, in particular the President. The leaders are elected with the select purpose of making decisions for the whole. They were responsible for looking at the war and the direction in which it was heading. The Americans would have to deal with the results of their leaders’ actions. Public opinion after the bomb was dropped showed whether the Americans actually approved of these decisions or not. This made the decision to drop the atom bomb on Hiroshima all the more important. Not only would those who ordered the bombing be responsible for the destruction, but the entire country would also be responsible for the actions of its leaders.
Newman, Robert P. “Hiroshima and the Trashing of Henry Stimson.” New England Quarterly (1998): 5-32.
The Revisionists and the orthodox views are different opinions on President Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb. The revisionists believed that Truman’s decision was wrong and there could have been alternatives. They say that the Bomb was unnecessary and it was only used as a “diplomatic tool” and to show the power of th...
Each of Truman’s advisors saw eye to eye in that the atomic bomb should be put to use in order to preserve the lives of the American and Japanese nations. (Walker)
Walker, J. Samuel. Prompt and Utter Destruction Truman and the Use of Atomic Bombs against Japan, Revised Edition. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 2005. Print.
Although WW II ended over 50 years ago there is still much discussion as to the events which ended the War in the Pacific. The primary event which historians attribute to this end are the use of atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Although the bombing of these cities did force the Japanese to surrender, many people today ask “Was the use of the atomic bomb necessary to end the war?” and more importantly “Why was the decision to use the bomb made?” Ronald Takaki examines these questions in his book Hiroshima.