The Atomic Bomb and Japan

It was the 6th of August, that much we knew when the boys took off in the morning dew. Feeling nervous, sick and ill at ease, they flew at the heart of the Japanese (Yass 72).

As they approached Hiroshima in the Enola Gay, they all had hopeful looks on their faces. "Not long now, folks . . . the Colonel and I are standing by and giving the boys what they want . . . There will be a short intermission while we bomb our target

. . . My God!" (Yass 73) As the great bomb plummeted from the sky, the crew turned the plane broadside to get the best view, which was described as a "terrific spectacle." A mass of purplish gray dust about three miles in diameter, the lower part of the mushroom as well as the top was all boiling. The mushroom smoke had reached the same altitude of the plane when another mushroom arose just as turbulent as the other. It looked as if it were coming from a huge burning fire, and it seemed to settle back to earth again. The purple clouds and flames below whirled around as the whole town was pulverized: "Mission successful" (Yass 73).

It was a clear beautiful morning in Hiroshima when the siren sounded at 7 o'clock. Then again at 8 another siren sounded, signaling all was clear; the people of Hiroshima began their day just as they would any other. Then all of a sudden a tremendous flash of light cut across the sky and blasted the earth over a radius of 800 yards from the center (Harson 4). The blast was so powerful that it caused wooden as well as stone

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l and financial resources and would not have to stop other work needed to win the war. Also, the laboratory work and production plants would be out of reach Of enemy bombing, while Britain was still threatened with invasion at the time ("Text on Statements by Truman," 1). When research was first begun to develop atomic energy, the United States was in no way committed to the use of atomic weapons against any other power. However, the situation changed as we poured more and more money ($2 billion worth) and effort into the project. While at first it was said that we undertook the development of the project so Germany would not get it first, the fact remains that the project soon became an all-out effort to end the war. The United States was creating a weapon to be used against its enemies, not necessarily Germany. The Manhattan Project (the development of the atomic bomb) existed only to bring the war to a successful end more quickly than would otherwise be the case. During the summer of 1945, the main objective of the United States was to bring a prompt and complete surrender of Japan, which would only be accomplished through complete destruction of her military power. During this time, Japan commanded forces of somewha

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