Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan's theory on the superiority of a country was
based on a strong navy. He concluded that a powerful fleet that could destroy an adversary in
one battle was crucial. At the time Admiral Mahan said this, he was correct. The world was
going thru an industrial revolution that made mass production of sea going vessels possible. In
this modern age the superiority of a country is based on a strong nuclear armament. While a
navy may take days to reach the coastline of a enemy shore, an intercontinental ballistic missile
can devastate the country before sailors board ships. From the Manhattan Project, to the Cold
War, and now in modern day countries that believe that nuclear weapons bring power, this river
of radioactive atoms is a hair raising one, when at any time all that man has built can be
destroyed.
Before the entry into W.W. II, but after Lise Meitner discovered the uranium atom
could be split in 1939 [1], the United States was conducting projects with the intent of atomic
energy being used as an energy source [2]. There was a shift in this with America declaring war
against the Axis Powers, and shifting plans from atomic energy to atomic weaponry [3].
Scientist under Hitler's New Order were intrigued with the possibility of using nuclear power for
military use [4].
Leslie M. Groves was a Colonel in the Army Corps of Engineers when he was
approached by Lieutenant General Brehon Somervell to run the nuclear program in America.
After a quick promotion to Brigadier General, Groves got right to work. “If you do the job right,
it will win the war.”
Lieutenant General Brehon Somervell [5]. With the concrete already
poured, Groves had very little trouble diving into the project. He had enough support behind him
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from Washington to get the job done, and he knew that. Groves had an almost paranoid sense of
things, as he kept the staff to the bear minimum to avoid theft of data. Groves also did not know
what the Germans knew, one of the German scientist that defected to the United States could be a
Double Agent. As the now titled Manhattan Project progressed, and the war raged on in Europe,
Britain and the U.S. talked of trading military secrets to increase the outcome of the war in allied
favor [6]. With any agreement between two different entities there is always some small
amount of conflict. Each party wanting more out of the deal. Groves did not want the door just
swinging in the favor of the British. Prime Minister Winston Churchill removed all British
objections on a interchange of information that would support the war effort [7].
The
relationship between the U.S. and the United Kingdom on nuclear energy throughout most of the
war was established under the Quebec Agreement [8]. Under the Quebec Agreement a
committee was created to meet in Washington D.C. to supervise the combined efforts of the U.S.,
England, and Canada. The committee never had any serious disagreements and did not interfere
with the U.S. nuclear program [9]. With the Quebec Agreement and the Combined Policy
Committee, all parties involved were able to exchange personal, materials, equipment, and
information. At one point 28 British scientists were assigned to work under Groves [10].
Before Allied forces stormed the beaches of France on D-Day, there was the fear that Germans
could be capable of using atomic bombs against England [11].
The destructive power of a nuclear bomb is well known today. Besides the initial
blast, fear of radioactive fallout is present. After a study of the effects of radioactive poisoning
was made, various locations and personal in the United States and England were issued portable
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Geiger Counters. The strategy America was building to defeat Japan was the invasion of the
enemy's homeland. It was essential for ending the war in the Pacific after Germany had
surrendered eight days after Hitler committed suicide. The Joint Chiefs of Staff approved a
concept of invading Kyushu, and then a final assault on Tokyo. General MacArthur and Admiral
Nimitz both agreed on a direct assault on Japan to reach an unconditional surrender. The
estimated number of troops needed for the final push for Japanese surrender was 1,500,000 [12].
While there was talks of invasion, certain questions were arising in the minds of military leaders:“At this same time a debate arose about how the bomb should be employed. Should we conduct a demonstration of its power for all the world to see, and
then deliver an ultimatum to Japan, or should we use it without warning.”
General Leslie M. Groves [13].
The idea of invading Japan was scratched. A new plan was devised of dropping a
nuclear bomb on the island of Japan. General Marshall appointed Groves in charge of picking a
target to drop a bomb on [14]. The size of the blast was not known, and that was shaping up to
be the hardest problem facing the situation along with picking a location. It was thrown around
that a city with a military base should be used, and that maybe a city on the west coast of the
island should be used. Striking the western half of the country would show the Japanese people
that nothing would be out of the reach of the United States Armed Forces.
