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The Atomic Bomb

The Atomic Bomb. By: Luke, Ben, Alex, and Brittany. The Manhattan Project. Overview. Program to develop atomic weapons Code Named: The Manhattan Project Began December 1941 & ended in 1946 Was discreet and kept extremely secret. Project Origins.

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The Atomic Bomb

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  1. The Atomic Bomb By: Luke, Ben, Alex, and Brittany

  2. The Manhattan Project

  3. Overview • Program to develop atomic weapons • Code Named: The Manhattan Project • Began December 1941 & ended in 1946 • Was discreet and kept extremely secret

  4. Project Origins • Letter written from Albert Einstein inspired FDR to research the uses of uranium • Led to creation of “Uranium Committee” under National Research Defense Council • Later modified into Manhattan Project • Approved by FDR with out direct knowledge of Congress • Funds came from secret Presidential accounts

  5. Goals and Tasks 1) Research the nature and capabilities of atomic energy 2) Use this energy to create first atomic bomb

  6. Directors • Army Corps of Engineers’ Manhattan District controlled bomb construction • Supervisor: General Leslie R. Groves • Head of Scientific Team: Physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer

  7. Workers and Expenses • Cost $ 2.2 Billion • Employed more than 600,000 people • Involved US and foreign scientists from universities & industrial sites • Variety of scientists who worked in different fields

  8. Facilities • Main Facility: Los Alamos, New Mexico • Other Sites: Oak Ridge, Tennessee & Hanford, Washington • Research conducted in university laboratories • Colombia and Berkley

  9. Development • Constructed nuclear reactors to extract uranium from fossils and convert it into plutonium • Resulted in fission weapons that compress the plutonium so that a chain reactions occur and create explosive power

  10. Results • First atomic bomb created • Tested on July 16, 1945 at New Mexico facility • Produced the two bombs that were used against Japan • “Little Boy” bomb dropped on Hiroshima • “Fatman” bomb dropped on Nagasaki • Became part of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) after World War II

  11. Peace Before The Bomb • In April 1945 a new Japanese cabinet formed • Prime Minister Baron Kantaro Suzuki • Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo • Army Minister Korechika Anami • New Cabinet decided to try and create a peace accord with the US

  12. Japanese Peace Proposal • Anami insisted that Japan make a plan that created peace but did not say that Japan had been defeated • This proposal would allow • Japan to keep possession of a fairly large empire • Would allow for their army to withdraw from over sea territories • Retain some oversea territories • Would have no Americans regulating what they did • No war crimes would be punished

  13. Why the US Said No • Allowed Japan to keep their weapons and troops • Did not want Japan to be like Germany after WWI • Japan wanted to dodge their way out of defeat • Meaning that they just want to recover, rebuild and try again • War Crimes • Japanese committed horrible crimes against the US and Korean prisoners • Infecting them with diseases torture, starvation • Overall most of the prisoner camps were just as bad if not worse as the Holocaust camps in Germany • Wanted the people responsible to be held for trial

  14. Pros To Using The Atomic Bomb • At this point in World War 2, mass killing had become almost acceptable due to the enormous amount of casualties • It would strike fear in the Nazis and Soviet Union • Assured complete surrender of the Japanese • The Japanese had refused to surrender and instead wanted to reach a peace agreement in which the Japanese would be able to rebuild their army and maybe attack again later • The U.S. thought that Japan deserved punishment for the acts that they committed toward other countries, for example the Rape of Nanking

  15. Cons • Could be seen as immoral • It would kill thousands of innocent lives • Some thought that Japan’s defeat was inevitable and it could be found without the use of the atom bomb • Using this weapon would remove Americans “clean record” • Other alternatives were not tried thoroughly before the use of the atom bomb • Although Japan would not accept defeat, they had started trying to talk to U.S. officials about peace

  16. VJ Day • The formal surrender took place on August 15th,1945 in Tokyo Bay • U.S. used island hopping in central and south west pacific in 1944 to gain victory over Japan • First stage taking back of Leyte in December of 1944 • Next liberation of Luzon January 2nd-8th 1945 US attacked • Two battles were the final stages of liberation in the Philippines, invasions in Iwo Jima and Okinawa • Suffered severe casualties due to kamikaze attacks

  17. Manila • Battle for Manila began in early February ended on March 4th • Key strategic island for the rest of the invasions in the future • US took Manila Bay on April 17th • US took Yamashita August 15th • Total casualties US 33,000 Japan 190,000 and 10,000 captured

  18. Iwo Jima • February 18th land on shore to end of March 1945 • Strategic land, for US bombers to resupply and to make emergency landings • 22,000 Japanese defended the island • December 8th 1944 bombers started an on going attack on Iwo Jima for 72 days • 500 warships 75,000 Marines • U.S. casualties 6,000 dead 17,000 wounded the Japanese all dead except for 216 prisoners

  19. Okinawa • Japan 77,000 people • US 1,200 warships 500,000 men • Attacked in April • Japan - Casualties 127,000 dead including civilians 400 warships sunk • U.S. - 7,400 dead 32,000 wounded • The battle was so fatal it is sometimes referred to as the “Typhoon of Steel”

  20. Atomic Bomb • First atomic bomb named little boy, destroyed 4.5 miles, 66% of building in a 9.5 mile radius were destroyed • Dropped on august 6th • Target Hiroshima • 71,000 died • 68,000 injured • Second bomb Fat man Dropped on august 9th • Target Nagasaki • Killed 40,000 • Injured 25,000

  21. An Atomic Bomb Test • YouTube - Atomic Bomb Explosion

  22. North Korea and Weapons of Mass Destruction • In 2003 North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty due to their intentions try and create nuclear weapons • This treaty was a pact among most countries that said that no making or research of nuclear weapons would be attempted

  23. North Korea’s Current Status • In April of 2009 North Korea was announced as a fully fledged nuclear power due their first successful test • Since April they have now made a total of six to eight nuclear weapons

  24. Conflict • Critics of the US government think that the US is being hypocritical due to the fact that the US has many more nuclear weapons than any other country in the world • These people say that North Korea should not be criticized so heavily for trying to widen their defense

  25. Possible Consequences • The US Government thinks that North Korea becoming a nuclear power threatens the peace of the world • They also think that if their leader Kim-Jong Il is not dealt with correctly then this threat could lead to nuclear war

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