WMD: Saving us from Ourselves

The Ink Spots - "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire"

Please play this song while reading, if you can.

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall" (Confucius).

The atomic bomb has always been a very eerie topic that drifts around in the back of people's minds every day. Whether or not the creation of the atom bomb is a good thing is still questioned by many.

The Little Boy being dropped on Hiroshima
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In 1898 Pierre and Marie Currie discovered that Uraninite, an ore of uranium, contained a substance (radium) that emitted large amounts of radiation.  Hopes were raised by many scientists who saw potential in these elements that could contain tremendous amounts of energy just waiting to be harnessed.  By the time World War II came around many scientists were wondering how they could put this energy into play and form an atomic weapon.  They knew ‘scientifically’ how it would have to work but not ‘physically’.  In August of 1939, the United States were informed of Germany’s interest in developing fission-based weapons.  President Franklin D. Roosevelt soon began the ‘Uranium Committee’ and began research and testing for the atomic bomb.  The US needed to find somewhere hidden and discreet to begin testing for these nuclear weapons.  They soon built ‘Los Alamos National Laboratory’ to fulfill these needs.  Led by scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the United States began testing and within a few years, successfully developed the world’s first atomic weapon.  As their intended target for the bomb, Germany, had surrendered, the United States changed their target finders towards Japan for the attack.  On August 6th, 1945, the Little Boy atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. 3 days later the Little Boy’s big brother, the Fat Man was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.  These nuclear attacks killed approximately upwards to 300 000 people.  Immediately after this, Japan surrendered after seeing the true power that the United States held.  

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Still to this day, those are the only two atomic bombs to be dropped on an enemy.  Before the bombs were dropped nobody; except for the scientists and high positions in government, was sure of its true power.  The co-pilot of the Enola Gay; the plane that dropped the first nuke on Hiroshima, wrote in his journal after the attack, “My God, what have we done?” (Robert Lewis).  If the co-pilot was never informed of the true power of these nuclear weapons, I highly doubt the general public was either.  The United States’ president at the time, Harry S. Truman, had stated that, “We are now prepared to obliterate more rapidly and completely destroy every productive enterprise the Japanese have above ground in any city.  We shall destroy their docks, their factories, and their communications.  Let there be no mistake; we shall completely destroy Japan's power to make war” (Harry S. Truman).  Truman was most definitely aware of the power of the nuclear weapons that were to be dropped on Japan.  He had no fear and was fully committed to winning the war.  

Robert J. Oppenheimer's thoughts after the bombs were dropped on Japan

 
So, what would have happened if the United States had never dropped these nuclear bombs? Would the war have ended?  It would of eventually ended but who knows if it would end up in the same result.  After reading more in depth about this topic, I wonder if it was a good thing that the United States dropped the atomic bombs on Japan.

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At the time it clearly wasn't a good thing as the nukes killed about 300 000 people. But as time goes on, this has been a giant stepping stone for the world as a whole. It showed the world the true power that the nuclear bomb can emit and the devastation it provides. The attacks on Japan were a wake up call to everyone. Former United States Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara stated that "the best way to handle nuclear weapons would be to acknowledge that they are useful only for deterring nuclear use from the other side" and that "they can have no purpose other than mutual deterrence" (McNamara). I agree with what he is saying and I think that is a mature way of handling the use of nuclear weapons. But this is how the Cold War started as the USSR wanted nuclear weapons for themselves after seeing them used in Japan. This led to a 'Nuclear Arms Race' between the United States and the USSR as both of them wanted to have more nuclear weapons than the other because they never knew when/if the other was going to push the button. During the Cold War, both the USSR and the US had enough nuclear weapons "to destroy the world 19 times over" (Nuclear Files). At the time, these nuclear weapons were being produced in order to prevent the use of them, to scare the other side not to turn the key. Luckily, neither side decided to launch any nuclear weapons over those tense couple of decades.  

Although at times it was close, I believe the reason why neither the US or USSR never used any nuclear weapons during the Cold War was because both sides knew the disaster it would cause after seeing what the nukes did to Japan. The outcome would have been a chain reaction of retaliation between both sides. I believe that although, at the time it was a tremendous heartbreak to the Japanese, dropping the nuclear bombs on Japan taught the world the seriousness of the nuclear weapon. The use of the bombs in WW2 taught the world a very useful thing in a terrible way. Countries who have access to nuclear weapons in the current day have them solely for the reason that McNamara stated. The atomic bomb is a sign of power, intelligence and ambition. The countries who have these weapons know the destruction they can unleash with them and I believe it was because of those two days in August of 1945 that the atomic bomb will most likely never be used again in terms of 'eliminating an enemy'. Not during our life time at least.

“Today, every inhabitant of this planet must contemplate the day when this planet may no longer be habitable. Every man, woman and child lives under a nuclear sword of Damocles, hanging by the slenderest of threads, capable of being cut at any moment by accident, or miscalculation, or by madness.  The weapons of war must be abolished before they abolish us" (John F. Kennedy).

The following is for self-interest: This was shown to children during the cold war in the case of the United States being attacked by the USSR.

Works Cited.

"Challenging the Myth That We Need Nuclear Weapons." Nautilus Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 June 2014. <http://nautilus.org/projects/by-name/a-j-disarm/public-forum/speeches-transcripts-and-audio/challenging-the-myth-that-we-need-nuclear-weapons/#axzz34Ku9xRZJ>.

"Delegitimisation of Nuclear Weapons." Reaching Critical Will. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 June 2014. <http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/resources/fact-sheets/critical-issues/4584-delegitimisation-of-nuclear-weapons>.

Drehle, David Von. "Want Peace? Give the Nuke a Nobel." Time. N.p., 11 Oct. 2009. Web. 15 June 2014. <http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1929553,00.html>.

McNamara, Robert. "What Are Nuclear Weapons Good For?" NY Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 June 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/16/books/what-are-nuclear-weapons-good-for.html>.

 Nuclear Files. N.p., 9 Aug. 2009. Web. 15 June 2014. <http://www.nuclearfiles.org/issues/nuclear_weapons_states.html>.

"Nuclear Weapons Have Saved Humanity from Itself." Taipei Times. Ed. Sergei Karaganov. N.p., 4 May 2010. Web. 15 June 2014. <http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2010/05/04/2003472088>.