Manhattan Project and Atomic Weaponry: Executive Summary

• The Manhattan project was a two-year collaborative effort by the leading scientists and engineers in the United States working under the banner of the US Army to create the first atomic bomb. Its resources amassed to over 2 billion dollars, the equivalent in today’s market being roughly 30 billion dollars, and its work spanned over 30 sites within the United States. President Roosevelt first created the effort in response to Germany’s discovery of nuclear fission and, after additional progress was being made overseas, the attention towards advancement in this field increased exponentially.
• The theoretical base for the weapon is that bombarding Uranium with neutrons creates an unstable nucleus, and when the correct proportion of neutrons and Uranium is achieved (critical mass), an explosive chain reaction is sustained. Uranium 235 (the ideal isotope for use in weaponry) can be harnessed by electromagnetic separation and gaseous diffusion. Both of these processes were employed on a massive scale, were extremely costly, and ultimately led to the spending of hundreds of millions of dollars in the production of facilities that produced the fissionable material. Later developments placed Plutonium at the forefront of atomic weaponry, an element that could be produced much easier and in much larger quantities.

• When making a statement regarding Japan’s potential surrender, President Truman declared that the United States would “completely destroy Japan’s power to make war. If they do not now accept our terms they may expect a rain of ruin from the air the like of which has never been seen on this earth.” The “little boy” atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima had the force of 12,500 tons of TNT. Ninety-percent of the city was leveled by the 500mph winds of the blast, charring the skins of the men, women and children 2 miles away and the death toll rose to 130,000 from both the blast and subsequent radiation.

Great tragic epic of the 20^th century

• Whether the use of the atomic bomb and its subsequent introduction into warfare and policy was truly an instrument of peace, or if it is perhaps the most heinous display of mankind’s immorality and blind destructiveness remains a question at large to this day. Author Richard Rhodes refers to the creation of the atomic bomb as the “great tragic epic of the 20^th century,” one that adopts the theme of humankind inventing the means of its own destruction. The reactions of those interviewed for the Modern Marvels documentary appear to be two-fold. The first facet is one of forlorn solemnity, a kind of grave understanding and recognition of the biblical-type carnage that was the fruits of their intellectual labors during those years. Hidden under the convenient shroud of a nationalistic intellectual triumph, there is no escaping the damage that came as a result of the successful creation of atomic weaponry. However, despite this understanding, many of those interviewed had little to no regret of their actions. Dr. Edward Teller, a designer of the Hydrogen bomb, is quoted saying, “progress cannot be stopped, and I am very much afraid that progress will occur, and will occur in a country less dedicated to peace than we are.” Similarly, other scientists interviewed were host to the stance that the advent of this technology was inevitable, indeed it was impending considering the advances made in Europe. They seemed to find solace in the fact that they helped the United States harness it before a more malicious counterpart was able to, and despite the catastrophic damage that it caused, it was the last time atomic weaponry was used. This may also have been inevitable, but it can also act as evidence of the United States’ true concern for peace and the minimization of violence on this scale.