The Manhattan Project is the code name of the attempt to produce an atomic bomb. It was named for the Manhattan Engineer District of the US Army Corp of Engineers, because much of the early research was done in New York City. The Manhattan Project is run by Brigadier General Leslie R. Groves, who is responsible to a Military Policy Committee chaired by Dr. Vannevar Bush (Conant, pg. 1).

I feel it necessary to take you through the developments in atomic research which led to the need for such an immense undertaking of time and money. In December of 1938, scientists in Germ

*The estimated cost of construction was $38 million.

I consider it of the utmost importance that you have as much background information as possible so as to be fully knowledgeable when deciding the future of the Manhattan Project, especially if it proves to be successful in its attempt to create the most powerful weapon ever known to mankind. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor had forced America into what, until now, it did not have: a war as reason for making the bomb (Thomas, pg. 7). But, will Pearl Harbor also provide the justification for using it?

any, which has unfortunately proven to be the locus for theoretical physics, discovered nuclear fission in Uranium. Fearing that research into nuclear fission by the Nazis could lead to the construction of an extremely powerful bomb of unheard of destructive power, physicists Leo Szilard and Albert Einstein wrote letters to President Franklin Roosevelt warning of this possible threat and urging the US government to conduct its own nuclear research (Szilard, pg. 10). President Roosevelt agrees and research is begun.

From the beginning, the Manhattan Project has been seen as necessary because of the threat of the Germans unlocking the secret of atomic energy first. Now that the threat is null and void, the main motivation seems to be simply to complete the project, or pay the consequences of answering to Congress if it is a failure. How many American lives will be saved if we end the Pacific War? No one is sure that dropping the bomb will even end the war. There were hesitations voiced about dropping an atomic bomb on Germany for fear of reverse engineering. What's to say that Japan couldn't do the same thing if the bomb doesn't detonate. There is also some opposition from some members of the scientific community of which you should be aware. Leo Szilard and Neils Bohr have argued repeatedly that using the atomic bomb in combat without prior notice to the Soviets could unleash a postwar nuclear arms race, no matter who the victor (Szilard, pg. 13).

*The estimated cost of construction was $2 million.

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Approximate Word count = 1407
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)