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1945 marked the beginning of the Atomic Age for mankind and it has never looked back. Whether a
weapon of peace or weapons of war, opinions differ, but nevertheless the development of nuclear
weapons is a milestone in the history of man, it is the culmination of science, fear, and war
mongering. Nuclear Weapons caused an unparalleled arms race; the likes of which the world had
never seen before. Nuclear Weapons tested the boundaries of international relations and foreign
policy, and tested the wills of Nations leaders.

On 2nd August, 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II, three Jewish scientists who had fled
from Germany to the United States, Albert Einstein, Leo Szilard and Eugene Wigner, wrote a joint
letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, about the developments that had been taking place in
nuclear physics, they called to his attention the prospect that a bomb of unprecedented power could
be made by tapping the forces of nuclear fission. 1They warned Roosevelt that scientists in Nazi
Germany were working on the possibility of using Uranium to produce a nuclear weapon, and that
should the Germans be the first to develop the envisaged ͚atomic bomb͛, Hitler would have a
weapon at his disposal which would make it possible for him to achieve his ultimate goal, ͚race and
space͛. Fuelled by the fear of a weapon of such magnitude being in the hands of the enemy,
Roosevelt responded immediately by setting up a scientific advisory committee to investigate the
matter. He also began talks with the British government about ways of sabotaging the German
efforts to produce nuclear weapons.

In 1942 the Manhattan Project was set up in the United States under the command of Brigadier
General Leslie Groves. The most notable scientists recruited to produce an atom bomb included
Robert Oppenheimer, David Bohm, Leo Szilard, Eugene Wigner, Rudolf Peierls, Otto Frisch, Niels
Bohr, Klaus Fuchs and Edward Teller. 2

1
Cynthia C. Kelly - V
 

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  ʹpage -BOOK
2
Jeremy Isaacs and Taylor DowningV
  -, page 19 (Manhattan Project) BOOK
British Prime minister, Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt were deeply concerned about the
possibility that Hitler and his Nazi Germany would produce the atom bomb before the allies. At a
conference held in Quebec in August, 1943, it was decided to try and disrupt the German nuclear
programme by any means necessary. 3 In February 1943, British SOE (Special Operations Executives)
saboteurs successfully planted a bomb in the Rjukan nitrates factory in Norway. The Nazi͛s quickly
rebuilt the factory, as it was key in the production of a nuclear weapon, but as soon as it was rebuilt,
it was destroyed by 150 US bombers in November, 1943, and less than two months later the
Norwegian resistance managed to sink a German boat carrying vital supplies for its nuclear
programme.

Three years after the forming of the institute, on the 16th July 1945, the first atomic bomb was
successfully tested in the New Mexico Desert. The bomb proved to be far more destructive than
expected; its power astonished even the men and women who had constructed it. The director of
the Manhattan Project, R J Oppenhiemer said; ͚V
  


 


 

 
    

     
   
 
   
     





 






 




  A truth

that has consequently has changed the way warfare has been fought ever since.

By the time the atomic bomb was tested at the Trinity site, Germany had already surrendered, and
no longer posed a nuclear threat. Shortly after Germany͛s surrender, Leo Szilard and James Franck,
scientists who helped to develop and build the first atomic weapon, drafted a petition signed by just
under 70 scientists opposed to the use of the bomb on moral grounds.5 ͚A weapon of an
unparalleled power has been created which will completely change all future conditions of warfare.
Unless some agreement about the control of the use of the new active materials can be obtained in
due time, any temporary advantage, however great, may be outweighed by a perpetual menace to
human security͛6 ëHowever, the war in the Pacific was still raging so their advice was ignored by
Harry S. Truman, the USA's new president, Roosevelt͛s successor.

3
http://www.search.com/reference/Special_Operations_Executive - SOE information -WEBSITE
4
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/jrobertop101189.html - Oppenheimer Quote
5
http://www.reformation.org/leo-szilard.html - Scientists petition to prevent the use of nuclear
weapons being used in the war against Japan. -WEBSITE
6
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090108095650AAN81jP - Niels Bohr͛s letter-
WEBSITE
Truman lost no time in demonstrating the immense destructive power of the Atomic bomb, and did
so in the most brutal way; he decided to use the atomic bomb in order to force the Japanese
leadership to surrender as quickly as possible. Only two nuclear weapons have been offensively
detonated to date, both in August 1945. The first was detonated on the morning of the 6th August,
when the United States dropped a Uranium bomb code-named "Little Boy" on the Japanese city of
Hiroshima. The second was detonated three days later when the United States dropped a plutonium
bomb code-named "Fat Man" on the city of Nagasaki. These bombings resulted in the immediate
deaths of an estimated 80,000 people (mostly civilians) from injuries sustained from the explosion.
When factoring in deaths from long-term effects of ionizing radiation and acute radiation sickness,
the total death toll is estimated at 120,000, with the death toll rising even today.7

Some understanding of the severity of nuclear weapons can be viewed by studying the effects of an
atomic blast; ͚Little Boy͛ for example, p
p  
 p p  p p       
pp   ëThe first effect of the explosion was blinding light, accompanied by
radiant heat from the fireball. The Hiroshima fireball was 370 m in diameter, with a temperature of
3,980 °C. Near ground zero, everything flammable burst into flame, glass products and sand melted
into molten glass, and any humans were either vaporised or turned to carbon in an instant.
Severe structural damage to buildings extended about 1 mile in radius from ground zero, making a
circle of destruction 2 miles in diameter. At one mile, the force of the blast wave was 5 psi, with
enough duration to implode houses and reduce them to kindling.

Without doubt there were compellingly persuasive military reasons for using the new weapon in the
summer of 1945. The first day of fighting on Iwo Jima had cost more American casualties than D-day;
on Okinawa, 79,000 U.S. soldiers were killed or wounded. As the US readied plans to invade the
main islands, Japan was deploying up to 2 million soldiers and additional millions of ͚auxiliaries͛
(civilians) who were clearly prepared to defend their homeland to the death. It was easy to believe
George Marshall͛s estimates that an invasion would result in as many as a million American
casualties, plus many more Japanese. The use of the Bomb offered Truman the chance of bringing
the war to a swift end, and saving lives.
An invasion of mainland Japan was estimated to cost in excess of $1 billion, especially if the fire
bombings were to continue, and since Truman was already being held accountable for the $2 billion
already spent on a nuclear weapon by congress, he felt he was able to ͚kill two birds, with one

7
http://www.aasc.ucla.edu/cab/200708230009.html -Death toll information about Hiroshima and
Nagasaki. WEBSITE
stone͛, and consequently prevent the Kremlin from expanding its grip on the Far East, if he dropped
the bombs.
Equally important to consider is that Truman was campaigning for an additional term of office, if
Truman had chosen not to use the Bomb, he would have had to commit the lives of thousands of
men who had families, to a war he could end by metaphorically ͚pushing the button͛.

The decision to drop the atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is one of the most
controversial issues of the 20th century.8 Many modern historians, particularly Major General J.F.C.
Fuller, one of the century͛s great military historians, who wrote; ͚Though to save life is laudable, it in
no way justifies the employment of means which run counter to every precept of humanity and the
customs of war. Should it do so, then, on the pretext of shortening a war and of saving lives, every
imaginable atrocity can be justified,͛9 have criticized the commonly held perceptions; that the bomb
shortened the war, saved American lives and prevented USSR's sharing in the post-war
administration of Japan. Many historians believe it was America͛s way of demonstrating its power;
of forcing the Soviets into submission, punishing the Japanese for the bombing of Pearl Harbour and
the atrocious treatment of American prisoners of war, and justifying the expense of the Manhattan
Project. Meanwhile some historians, such as Max Hastings have taken a different view, one more in
line with Truman͛s way of thinking, ͚two million Japanese people paid the price for their rulers'
blindness, a sacrifice that availed their country nothing. After years in which Japan's armies had
roamed Asia at will, killing on a Homeric scale, retribution was at hand.͛10 Japan was already
discussing the terms of its surrender when the first bomb was dropped, so for Truman to sanction
the second was not deemed strategically or morally viable.

The use of the atomic bomb, threw into question the obsolescence of conventional military forces,
however, nuclear weapons cannot eradicate war, they merely change the way it is fought. The term
͚limited war͛, is often used now to describe scenes of conflict. A phrase taken from a military
dictionary best describe the term, ͚A war in which the weapons used, the nations or territory
involved, or the objectives pursued are restricted in some way, in particular one in which the use of
nuclear weapons is avoided.͛ 11Small forces of conventional troops will be used where; the use of

8
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-16283202.html - Modern historian debate about the use
of nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. - WEBSITE
9
http://www.lewrockwell.com/raico/raico22.html Historians debate over the Hiroshima and
Nagasaki bombings. WEBSITE
10
Max Hastings. !!V
 
 "#$%&&&'. ʹ HarperPress.2007. BOOK
11
http://www.answers.com/topic/limited-war - Limited War, Military Dictionary.
nuclear weapons would be un-beneficial and create more devastation than necessary in order to
achieve the aim, which war was necessary for in the first place. Nuclear weapons are viewed as a last
resort, which is why; many historians struggle to understand why Truman sanctioned the detonation
of two atomic weapons, before any conventional methods were assumed.
It has been estimated that in the years immediately after 1945 around 200,000 people died as a
result of the bombs being dropped. Japan did not surrender immediately and after the second bomb
was dropped on Nagasaki, the Japanese surrendered on the 10th of August. The Second World War
was over.

For four years, America held the nuclear monopoly, and thwarted all attempts made by the UN for
them to share their knowledge of nuclear technology and relinquish control of the bombs. However,
three years later, 1949, 26th August the USSR tested its first atomic bomb in Semipalatinsk. The
possession of a nuclear weapon by another nation brought about an end to America͛s Atomic
monopoly. Possession of atomic weapons by two ideologically opposed nations was however, an
accident waiting to happen. Tensions increased between American-Soviet relations as America
feared the Soviets might now be more confident about launching an attack, and testing America͛s
weak-spots.

America͛s biggest fear was that the Soviets should gain a nuclear superiority, and it was this fear,
that sparked the largest, most economically draining, arms race to date. For years the advancement
of nuclear technology was a key factor in domestic and international politics, policies which have
shaped the world we live in today. The passing of the American NSC68 policy, is a prime example,
the NSC68 policy ultimately was introduced to ensure that America remain more powerful than the
Soviet Union. This required a substantial increase in military strength, focussing on conventional
armed forces, as well as increasing their nuclear arsenal.

The short term significance of the development of the atomic bomb was the fortifying of allied
relations, particularly between Britain and the United States; as they worked together in the
prevention of Nazi Germany building and acquiring a weapon of such massive destruction. The
development of Nuclear weapons helped America to achieve its short term aim of bringing about
the end to the war in the Pacific, with minimal American casualties, and minimal cost. However the
legacy of nuclear weapons, the long term effects, would turn out to be 45 years of fear, suspicion
and tension. Nuclear weapons, are they weapons of peace or weapons of war?

By Samantha Clark
Word Count 2,058.