atomic bomb
"The Trinity test, on July 16, 1945, was a spectacular success. A 6 kilogram sphere of plutonium, compresses to supercriticality by explosive lenses, exploded over the New Mexico desert with a force equal to approximately 20,000 tons of TNT"(U.S. National Archives). This statement from the TS Manhattan Project Files was describing a day in history which brought about hope for the ending of a war, as well as destructive fate for thousands of people. Thus the topic of discussion is the legendary atomic bomb. A bomb that is seen as a double-edged sword, one that saved and destroyed numerous lives. The timeless argument of whether or not the dropping of the atomic bomb was the right way to bring an end to the Pacific fighting of World War II started before the bombs were dropped and continues to be fought years after the fact. The creation of the atomic bomb in the 1940's changed warfare forever. Countries held in their possession a device which could single-handily wipe ou!An extensive amount of research and scientific study, starting back with Albert Einstein, went into the discovery of being able to create an atomic bomb. Einstein found research which allowed him to predict that mass could be converted
The first successful testing of the atomic bomb exploded on July 16, 1945. The place used for the testing was near Alamogordo, New Mexico in an area called Jornada del Muerto(Journey of the dead), officially known as Trinity. According to a report done by Colonel Stafford L. Warren, the Chief of Medical Section Manhattan District, the test occurred two days prior to its scheduled date. Everything was ready and they saw no reason to hold the testing off. At the conclusion of a study of the weather, conditions showed a variety of wind conditions at relatively slow speeds traveling northwest and northeast were expected to be active for the days of July 16th and 17th in the year 1945. These conditions would aid to the testing by "localizing the outfall of active material from the cloud to the site and nearby desert areas"(Warren). These winds "would also dilute the outfall most effectively in the early hours of the life of the cloud when it would help the most"(Warren). The! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ light intensity. Thus causing the belief that this blindness would remain longer at shorter distances. Overall dealing with light intensity, the heat and ultraviolet radiation coming in contact with unprotected eyes at the range of five to six miles would result in severe damage(Warren). At the conclusion of his report, Colonel Warren suggested that the site chosen for this testing was relatively too small and that it was his recommendation to chose a site of a larger area, one "preferably with a radius of at least one hundred fifty miles without population"(Warren). Report on Test II at Trinity, 16 July 1945. To: Major Gen. Groves, From: Colonel avoid women and children. He refers to the enemy by saying, "Even if the Japs are savages, ruthless, merciless and fanatic, we as the leader of the world for the common welfare cannot drop that terrible bomb on the old capital or the new"(Ferrell 56). President Truman finishes by saying, "we will issue a warning statement asking the Japs to surrender and save lives. I'm sure they will not do that, but we will have given them the chance. . . . It seems to be the most terrible thing ever discovered, but it can be made the most useful. . ."(Ferrell 56). Truman captured the entire concept of the atomic bomb in this last line by describing the atomic bomb as the two-sided coin it has proved to be. In President Truman's July 25, 1945 diary entry, the President wrote that he had ordered the bomb to be used(Ferrell 55). Truman wrote, "We have discovered the most terrible bomb in the history of the world" and in the same entry states that this intense weapon will be used against Japan between that specific day and the 10th of August(Ferrell 55). Within this entry Truman continuly stresses the fact that the bomb has been specifically ordered to be dropped on a "purely military" target(Ferrell 55). In order to single out only military objectives, soldiers and sailors and
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Approximate Word count = 2202
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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