Mike Lyman

History 1700

The Race for Nuclear Arms

With news of Germanys invasion of Czechoslovakia in the summer of

1939, several prominent scientists became concerned with Germanys
control of known uranium deposits. Several months previous, Niels Bohr had
announced the discovery of nuclear fission to the world. Now Germany
controlled much of the known Uranium deposits required for Bohrs reaction.
Leo Szilard with other scientists enlisted the help of Albert Einstein to contact

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to notify him of the potential issues1.

What was unknown at that point in time was what would happen once the
President was notified of such a concern, concerns that such a weapon could
be used against the American people or its allies. With Germanys invasion of
Czechoslovakia and Albert Einsteins letter to the President, it hastened the
development of nuclear arms in America during the 1940s. By many
accounts, it seemed America was not prepared for the full implications of
using nuclear weapons.
Leo Szilard, one of the foremost scientists in physics, was living in
America when he learned of Germanys control of Czechoslovakian Uranium
deposits. He sought out Einsteins assistance to notify the President of the
potential threat from Germany. After drafting several letters, Szilard and
Einstein concluded they would have Alexander Sachs, an Economic adviser
and friend of the President, deliver the letter. The letter was written and sent
to Sachs on August 2, 1939. In the letter Einstein explained that a single
bomb of uranium type elements could destroy a whole port and some of
the surrounding territory if carried via boat2. Einstein also recommended in
the letter that President Roosevelt should appoint an individual to be in

1 Rhodes, Richard. "Neutrons." In The Making of the Atomic Bomb, 309-314. New York, New
York: Simon andSchuster, 1986.

2 Einstein, Albert. FDR Library. August 2, 1939. Accessed December 5,

2015.http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/archives/pdfs/docsworldwar.pdf.

constant communication with physicists in America currently working on the

technology. This person would need to advocate the process of research on
the use of uranium for controlled reactions while also securing larger
supplies of the element. Einstein explained that Germany was doing the
same nuclear research at the Kaiser-Wilhelm Institute, lead by the son of
German Under Secretary of State, Von Weizsaker.3 The letter explained that
Germany was working on such research, but it did not disclose any
information regarding how far along they were in the process.
The President responded on October 19, 1939, two months after
Einsteins original letter was sent. It stated, I found this data of such import
that I have convened a Board consisting of the head of the Bureau of
Standards and a chosen representative of the Army and Navy to thoroughly
investigate the possibilities of your suggestion regarding the element of
uranium.4 The Presidents response shows that he was previously unaware
of the issue and was deeply concerned about the nuclear research and
potential nuclear weapons. Therefore, he enacted a council to control and
create official nuclear testing under the direction of the government and
military entities. The President then stated that Sachs would be cooperating

3 Ibid.

4 Einstein, Albert. FDR Library. August 2, 1939. Accessed December 5,

2015.http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/archives/pdfs/docsworldwar.pdf.

with the committee which would allow further communication between

Einstein, Szilard and the newly created council.
The Manhattan Project was formed as a result of the committee. It
consisted of 70 of the top scientists in their field worked diligently on nuclear
fission research. On July 17, 1945 Szilard and the 69 other scientists of the
Manhattan Project submitted a petition to President Truman stating the
conditions under which they felt it was acceptable to use the recently
created nuclear bomb in warfare. The scientists acknowledged in the petition
that the war needed to be brought to a speedy conclusion and that atomic
weapons would be able to effectively achieve that outcome. Additionally,
moral standards were outlined stating that America would be justified in
using nuclear weapons only after information of an impending attack on
Japan was made public and the Japanese were given opportunity to
surrender. Only after verification that Japan had received and declined such
terms would it be acceptable. The scientists reasoned that America would be
setting the standard for which nuclear arms would be used in the future, and
without taking the proper steps, unregulated nuclear arms could be used as
retaliation.5

5 Szilard, Leo. Truman Library: The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb Online Research File.
Accessed December 9,2015.
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/bomb/large/documents/index.php
?docu mentdate=1945-07-17&documentid=79&studycollectionid=abomb&pagenumber=1.

A day earlier, in a remote section of the Alamagordo Air Base in New

Mexico, the first nuclear bomb, code named Trinity, was tested. The director
of the Manhattan Project, Lieutenant General Leslie Richard Groves, wrote a
memorandum to Secretary of War Henry Stimson describing the outcome of
the Trinity bomb test. He stated, The test was successful beyond the most
optimistic expectations of anyone.6 Groves then explained in detail the
devastation caused by this preliminary test stating the structure the bomb
was on had vanished and that the light emitted from the explosion was able
to be seen from locations up to 180 miles away.7 This was the first and only
actual nuclear test the scientists had to measure its capabilities and record
damages. One half mile from the bomb site, a massive steel cylinder
weighing 220 tons and over 70 feet high encased in concrete was
constructed to replicate a skyscraper and test damage from the bomb. The
blast ripped it from its foundations, twisted it, ripped it apart and left it flat
on the ground.8 In an effort to control information from leaking, a news
6 Groves, Leslie. "Truman Library: The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb Online Research
File." Truman Library:The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb Online Research File. Accessed
December 10, 2015.
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/bomb/large/documents/index.php
?pagenu
mber=1&documentdate=1945-0718&documentid=2&studycollectionid=abomb.

7 Ibid. 2

8 Ibid.3

release was issued. All news stories were limited to the approved release.
The only other witness was a blind woman who stated that she could see the
light.9 In a summation of events, Groves stated that there was a feeling of
blasphemy that they dare tamper with forces reserved for the almighty.10 In
dealing with the Manhattan Project, scientists predicted the reactions,
potential size, and scope of a bomb drop. However, based on Groves
account, it was drastically underestimated. Utilizing such a weapon would
redefine the way wars are fought in the future, but they werent thoroughly
aware of how.
With testing well under way, the American Military needed a way to deploy
such weapons if needed. The B-29 bomber was available in abundance and
set up to carry the nuclear warheads. In initial test flights, several issues
were encountered as the B-29 was an older plane and weighed more than
newer aircrafts. With no other plane able to carry the load, the B-29 was
retrofitted to be able to climb to 30000 feet without burning up the engines.
After slimming down the B-29 and modernizing the engine performance, it
was able to carry the weight of the bomb and climb to appropriate altitude
without failure.11 The first nuclear bomb drop point was chosen by the
9 Ibid. 5

10 Ibid. 9

11 Rhodes, Richard. "Neutrons." In The Making of the Atomic Bomb, 679-681. New York, New
York: Simon andSchuster, 1986.

bombardier. He chose to drop it over a bridge in Hiroshima rather than on a

factory that would be surrounded by workers homes.12
World War II was different than previous wars because the opposing
governments used print and video propaganda to influence citizens in their
own and their enemys countries. After the first bomb was dropped on
Hiroshima, leaflets were dropped in several Japanese cities across the
country. The leaflets were written to persuade the Japanese people to
petition their leaders to surrender to the allied powers. The leaflet described
the devastation in Hiroshima as a result of the first nuclear bomb and stated
that more would be used to destroy every resource of the military if the
Japanese Emperor did not accept surrender.13 The letter was written with a
strong tone, though it stated to the Japanese people that there was an
opportunity for them to convince their government to end the war. With
Japan not accepting surrender, America then used a second nuclear bomb on
the city of Nagasaki. Several weeks later and after the use of the second
nuclear bomb the Japanese Emperor surrendered.

12 Ibid. 709

13 "Truman Library: The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb Online Research File." Truman
Library: The Decision toDrop the Atomic Bomb Online Research File. Accessed December 10,
2015.
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/bomb/large/documents/index.php
?docu mentdate=1945-08-06&documentid=62&studycollectionid=abomb&pagenumber=1.

With the Japanese surrender and the war ending, news of the atomic
bombs had spread throughout the world and could no longer be contained or
managed. News articles were printed crediting Alexander Sachs for having
President Roosevelt speed up atom research here in the United States.14
Although he was the person who had originally presented the material to the
President, Einstein and Szilard had shown the government that they were
unprepared for what was before them. The race to create nuclear weapons
was started out of fear from what the other side could potentially do.
Germany had not come close to producing a nuclear warhead by the end of
the war and the original information the Manhattan Project was provided. It
turns out that the German design was actually a nuclear power reactor. At
that time physics, our beloved science, was pushed into the most cruel part
of reality and we had to live it through, said Victor Weisskopf15

14 "Truman Library: The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb Online Research File." Truman
Library: The Decision toDrop the Atomic Bomb Online Research File. Accessed December 10,
2015.
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/bomb/large/documents/index.php
?documentdate=1945-08-06&documentid=6-2&studycollectionid=abomb&pagenumber=1.

15 Rhodes, Richard. "Neutrons." In The Making of the Atomic Bomb, 524. New York, New
York: Simon and Schuster, 1986.