The Atomic Technology of War: Essay

During World War II, the Americans fought a two-front war, with pressure from both Japan and Germany. The United States, aware that Germany was threatening to build an atomic weapon, created a secret project to develop the technology first. Under the codename, the Manhattan Project, leading scientists carried out top secret research on fission and the technology needed to create the first atomic bomb. The immediate impact of the Manhattan Project was the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan, ending the war in the Pacific. However, more important influences of this project can be seen following the detonation of the first bombs. The emergence of the United States as a world superpower following World War II, the tensions derived from the

The beginnings of the Nuclear Age started when Albert Einstein wrote to President Franklin Roosevelt warning him of a dangerous weapon the Nazis had begun researching, known as the atomic bomb. (1) Though, when President Roosevelt first read this letter, he was too preoccupied with events in Europe to be bothered with such ideas. He at the time did not take the creation of such weapon to seriously, nor did he believe America had the resources for such a task. (2) Finally, on October 19, 1939 President Roosevelt wrote back to Einstein stating that the United States had begun to research the power of uranium. (2) With the help of the British, whom reluctantly gave the United States leadership on this project, in June of 1942 the Manhattan Project had begun, though most of the world had no idea that this was even happening, not even Vice President Truman. (2)

The Manhattan Project was created out of the fear of their current enemy, Germany of making the first atomic bomb and using it in the war. The current President of the United States was Franklin Roosevelt. It was seen that Germany was making great advances in the war which worried many. But the people who were very worried were three prestigious scientists. Leo Szilard, Eugene Wigner, and Edward Teller who were Hungarian scientists who immigrated to the United States during the war. Szilard and the other scientists wished to advocate for the start of a program that put all efforts into making an atomic bomb. But of course they were very intelligent on how to get their cause across seriously. “Though the three men, particularly Szilard, were well known

Even before the outbreak of War, the United States was concerned with a fascist regime in Europe researching in nuclear weapons. In retaliation, the United States began to fund an atomic weapon development program which became known as “The Manhattan Project” led by J. Robert Oppenheimer. Over the next several years, the Manhattan project started obtaining key materials such as Uranium-235 and Plutonium and testing prototypes until they reached a working model (Coroner).

Though the scientists themselves were the ones to encourage the creation of the atom bomb, their plans and views differed immensely from those of the military. As World War II raged on, Germany was suspected of harnessing atomic energy and directing it into powering a weapon. Albert Einstein, agreeing with Leo Silzard, the man who first thought into the concept, urged President Franklin D. Roosevelt to look further into the study of atomic energy and the possibility of using it for a bomb. President Roosevelt, fearing the German’s advances in this study, quickly agreed and sent money to the University of Chicago to begin the study and research of atomic energy. (Roleff 62) (The Manhattan Project 1) Upon sending this money, the top-secret research program and building of the atomic bomb began. Later moving from Chicago to Los Alamos, New Mexico, this secret project was called the Manhattan Project. (1) Einstein later explained that his recommendation to the president was to only further the United State’s knowledge of this energy and to have an extra line of defense if the Germans were to ever launch a nuclear attack. (Roleff 62) When the possibility of using one of these weapons was

The Manhattan Project was the code name for the effort to produce the first atomic bomb during WWII. The project began in 1939, when two scientists accomplished atomic fission in uranium. These scientists were Jews, and during the Holocaust, they had to leave Germany into America. It was also operated with the help from the United Kingdom and Canada. Scientist Leo Szilard, Eugenge Wigner, and Edward Teller decided to tell the President of the United States, about the new fission technology that had been discovered. Which they believed was capable of making bombs. Most believed that Germany would be able create the first atomic bomb, so that’s why the three scientists requested the help of Albert Einstein, and together they wrote a letter to President Roosevelt describing their beliefs that nuclear fission “would lead to the construction of bombs and it is very possible…that extremely powerful bombs of a new type may be created.”

For those not familiar with the Manhattan Project; it was an atomic research program approved by President Roosevelt. It would eventually produce the first atomic bomb used during World War II.

American scientists were already concerned with the research of nuclear weapons being conducted in Nazi, Germany even before 1939, which is the outbreak of the war. In 1949, the U.S government funded its own atomic weapons development program. The program became a responsibility of both the Office of Scientific Research and Development and the War Department after U.S entry into World War 2. The construction

That atomic research program became known as the Manhattan Project. The Manhattan Project had both positive and negative lasting effects on humanity. It was not until the summer of 1945, that Oppenheimer was ready to test the first atomic bomb. ON July 16, 1945, at the Trinity site located in New Mexico, scientists of the Manhattan Project readied themselves to watch the detonation of the world’s first atomic bomb.

In early 1900’s scientist of the world discovered that a few German physicists had learned the secret of splitting atoms, and they would be able to utilize energy to produce a bomb that would cause total destruction. Albert Einstein, who fled Nazi Germany and fled to United States, informed President Roosevelt about the capability of splitting atoms. Along with Einstein fellow scientist Fermi convinced Roosevelt to develop an atomic research program. In 1941 United Stated begin to design and build the atomic bomb which coded the Manhattan project. In 1942 Fermi had produced nuclear chain reaction. The development of the atomic bomb took place in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Oppenheimer was the leading scientist in putting all the pieces together. There were over a hundred thousand people involved in preparing the bomb to be tested. December of 1945 the testing for the first atomic bomb took place in New Mexico.

The Manhattan Project was a project led by the United States Government. The objective was to create a nuclear bomb for the ongoing war. Canada made the project possible by suppling uranium. The project began when scientists around the world realized German physicists discovered a way to split a uranium atom in 1939. Once scientists realized this discovery was capable of causing severe damage, the fear grew of Nazi's using it to their advantage. Albert Einstein and other scientists including Enrico Fermi decided that they should notify the American government. At first President Roosevelt didn't agree with the information provided in the letter by Albert Einstein. Butin 1941 the U.S government determined they should start an Atomic research

Scientist like Albert Einstein and Enrico Fermi escaped Axis control and sought refuge in America (Burr). They agreed that the President must be informed of the dangers of atomic technology in the hands of the Axis powers so they could build counter-weapon. After careful consideration and insider information from Einstein and Fermi, President Roosevelt made his decision. Although Roosevelt did not see the necessity for a atomic program, he slowly agreed to creating an atomic weapon rather than a counter-weapon. As a result an American secret military project to build an atomic bomb was launched. Code named, the Manhattan Project”, it wasn't until 1942 that the project picked up speed. Enrico Fermi led a group of physicists to produce the world’s first nuclear chain reaction. This breakthrough gained the necessary attention from Roosevelt, funds were allocated more freely, and the project advanced exponentially. The Manhattan Project spent nearly $2 billion on research and development with over 120,000 employees all in the dark. Only a small privileged cadre of inner scientists and officials knew about the atomic bomb’s development. In fact, Vice President Truman was not informed of the Manhattan project until he became President (Burr). Final testing began in the summer of 1945 at Trinity Site near Alamogordo, New Mexico. The bomb was fixed to a 100-foot tower that was set to

Atomic war was foreign to the world in the 1930s and 1940s, or so they thought. The Germans had been secretly conducting research on the construction of a bomb using atomic physics. German scientist Albert Einstein wrote to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1939 to warn him about this new research, which prompted the president to initiate a small program to conduct research. As the United States enter the war, President Roosevelt’s urgency grew, and he launched a secret one billion dollar program named “The Manhattan Project.”

Albert Einstein validated this rumor as he proclaimed “the element uranium may be turned into a new and important source of energy in the immediate future” [2] and also the ushered the United States to build this powerful bomb before Hitler could. President Roosevelt at first did not value this information, but gradually started up the research program and in 1941 this program received the name Manhattan Project. During the first few years of the research, the Columbia, Berkeley, and Chicago Universities helped conduct the necessary experiments. Later the main assembly edifice was created at Los Alamos, New Mexico [3]

In 1941, The United States began an atomic bomb program called the “Manhattan Project.” The main objective of the “Manhattan Project” was to research and build an atomic bomb before Germany could create and use one against the allied forces during World War II. German scientists had started a similar research program four years before the United States began so the scientists of the “Manhattan Project” felt a sense of urgency throughout their work (Wood “Men … Project”).