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Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson describes the atomic bomb as, The most terrible weapon ever known in human history, one bomb of which that could destroy a whole city (1). This terrifying weapon was a newly constructed bomb made during World War II called the atomic bomb. After it was tested in Alamogordo under the alias of the Manhattan Project and the Trinity Test, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were chosen to be infamously bombed with the developed weapon, leaving close to a quarter of a million people dead. Along with first highlighting the weapons effects to society and causing the Japanese surrender to World War II, the atomic bomb has built a reputation of being infamously known as extremely powerful and dangerous, completely changing the world and life even today. The development of the atomic bomb in the 1940s was a revolutionary breakthrough in the effectiveness of warfare and weaponry due to its use on Hiroshima and Nagasaki which consequently ended World War II, altered the international perception on nuclear weapons use, and relations between countries. The program to research and develop the atomic bomb was named the Manhattan Project. Henry L. Stimson, the Secretary of War and one of the lead officers in the project, introduced U.S. President Harry S. Truman to the top-secret experiment. He discussed the development with a memo written for Truman, proclaiming the atomic bomb to be of such tremendous power that no system of control heretofore considered would be adequate to control this menace (2). Stimson also detailed the capabilities of the bomb by describing how civilization itself could be even destroyed by the bomb and how the United States would need to take steps of extreme caution to continue this feat (2). The discussion led to a deeper influence of the Truman Administration, but more importantly, marked the unstable power that the United States was attempting to harness. Even so, the two billion dollar project, or 25 billion by the currency means

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today, continued on and the United States went on with their preparation of the influential weapon of the atomic bomb that would change the course of World War II and history. The atomic bomb prototype that was first tested in Alamogordo marked the first atomic bomb testing in history, but also first showcased the possibilities of the bombs powers. The explosion from the prototypes detonation was seen 200 miles away and heard almost 40 miles away. A nearby steel tower close to half a mile away was knocked down, while the steel tower holding the bomb completely disintegrated (Bernstein 34). A soldier 10,000 feet away was knocked off his feet while a soldier five miles away was temporarily blinded by the flash (Weale 131). In the end, the bomb produced a 6 ft. deep crater with a diameter of 1,200 feet (Bernstein 34). The Trinity Tests success proved the immense power of the atomic bomb and tested the atomic bombs functionality, preparing it for the pivotal event of dropping the atomic bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The expensive project showed how the United States could not afford to waste the bombs full potential as a weapon politically and financially, so the countrys meticulous decision process of the bombs target began. High standards were set for the atomic bomb targets. President Truman advised Stimson that the bomb dropping would be for military purposes only (Bernstein 34). This prepared the guidelines for what Japanese cities the United States were to consider for the bombing. One of the first candidates considered was Kyoto. It contained a large population of more than a million people and was basically untouched from bombings because of Allied recognition of its cultural importance. The city was also known as the intellectual center of Japan, so if it was bombed, the psychological effect would be significantly stronger compared to other cities (Frank 255). However, Kyoto was removed from this list, surprisingly, due its strong cultural importance and the United States hesitance to

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destroy it (262). Kokura was seen as another possible target. Its huge arsenal fit into Trumans wish for a military arsenal (284). Niigata was also included on the list because of its considerably significant trading port. The other possible targets were Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hiroshima had a substantially large military based economy in the city along with a large soldier to civilian ratio (263). It also remained to be a relatively undamaged city and also proved to be the largest city in the Japanese homeland except for Kyoto (263). Nagasaki was chosen to be a target from its economic basis, which was centered on the Mitsubishi shipyard that produced military supplies (284). However, Allied prisoner-of-war camps were stationed in the city, removing its status as a primary target (262). The final list of targets was Kokura, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Niigata, all chosen from an extensive period of targeting needed in order not to misuse the promises that the bomb would be able to bring to the present World War II. The bomb was first used on Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945. This day first introduced the world to the catastrophic results of the revolutionary atomic bomb through its deadly effects, which were described as violent and as powerful as 20,000 tons of TNT by the famous headlines on the New York Times the next morning after the dropping (Shalett). The plutonium bomb was named Little Boy. Its outer casing was scribbled with the message, Greetings to the Emperor from the men of the Indianapolis, a reference to the USA heavy cruiser boat with the same name (Weale 138). The ship was ordered to send atomic bomb materials to Tinian until it was shot down by Japanese submarines, killing 883 people out of the total 1033 who abandoned ship only to endure exposure to cold and shark attacks. This event added more to the importance of atomic bomb use against Japan (Frank 159). On August 6th, the Enola Gay took off from Tinian, heading for Hiroshima with Little Boy, where the bomb was dropped at 8:15 AM (. George R. Caron was a crewmember on the Enola Gay and was the first and only one looking

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directly at the bomb. He described the effects as, A column of smoke is risinga bubbling mass, purple-grey in color, with that red core (Weale 139). However, there were even worse effects on the ground. The atomic bombs rays brought gruesome deaths and ghastly injuries that were unbelievably shocking. Kikuko Otake told her mother, Masako Otakes story of the hours after the bombing she experienced in Hiroshima, which she described as a scene more nightmarish than hell: Your dad's oldest brother, Uncle Koichi, had fled to the sandbank, where we were...I saw that his entire body was scalded...he was dressed in what I thought was shredded cloth, but which turned out to be strips of his own flayed skin. His chest was a garden of burnt flesh. The skin from his cheeks and chin hung down, a shredded mask instead of a face. His eyes were barely open. And the raw flesh of his nose had fused with his swollen upper lip, which had peeled back to expose his teeth (11). The bombing also presented a new illness, atomic bomb syndrome, one that was included horrifying symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, hair loss, vomiting blood, blood in urine, and blood in stools which usually left the victim dead within days (Otake 34). Heavy, black-tainted rain which was highly radioactive fell in Hiroshima shortly after the bombing, spreading more illness (15). Along with sicknesses, the bomb brought forth powerful atomic rays that left shadowy imprints which were shielded areas saved from the charring effects (Weale 152). An example of the bombs capability of vaporizing people close to the speed of light was of a shadow of a man pulling a cart with his foot in the air found imprinted onto the blacktop (Frank 265). The shadows provided evidence of vaporization. Richard B. Frank explained that people, had been vaporizedpassing from being into nothingness faster than human physiology can register (265). In the end, Hiroshima saw their population diminish from 255,000 peoples to

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135,000 (Yale Law School Total). Raging firestorms that were sparked from the atomic attack in Hiroshima added to the uncertainty of casualties in Hiroshima (Walker 80). The revolutionary effects of the one atomic bomb were disastrous and extremely threatening to other nations. However, it was not the only introduction of the weapon. The atomic bomb also showed off its powers a second time at Nagasaki. The bombing mission was pushed to an earlier time, August 9th, because of faulty weather, but mostly to make the United States seemingly have an abundant supply of nuclear weapons at their disposal (Frank 283). This added to the United States urgency to make a significant psychological impact onto the Japanese with the use of the atomic bomb. The bomb, Fat Man, was actually headed for Kokura, however, haze and faulty airplane equipment forced the crew to revert to their secondary target, Nagasaki (Frank 284). The intricate planning done to perfect the bombing mission showed how the United States wanted to make sure the attack would function exactly as planned in order not to misuse the bombs opportunity of ending the war. Although the bombing location was different, the devastating effects, such as the atomic bomb syndrome and imprints, were the same. The city was surrounded by hills, containing and therefore concentrating the nuclear energy into the area. Only 60.8% of all buildings in Nagasaki were undamaged from the power of the bomb, however, for residences specifically, only 12% were left undamaged. Buildings as far away as 23,000 feet from the impact zone had collapsed (Yale Law School General). 64,000 peoples of the total 195,000 peoples living in Nagasaki at the time were dead (Yale Law School Total). The brutal power of the atomic bomb was again shown at Nagasaki as a reminder of the terror the bomb was capable of bringing forth, along with being another push for Japan to finally surrender to the infamous World War II.

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The attack also prevented a speedy recovery for the victims of the attacks due to the bombs effect on the diminished doctor and nurse workforce. Before the attack, there were close to 200 doctors in Hiroshima. However, after the bombing, close to only twenty doctors remained stable enough to tend to the victims. Since the atomic bomb had also destroyed most of the citys hospitals, only three were functional, leaving the thousands of victims without proper care (Caragol Wells Production Inc.). The inadequate amount of first aid to the victims led to a higher amount of casualties, proving the severity of the nuclear weapons impact on recovery from the attack in Hiroshima. Not only did the atomic bomb physically destroy full cities, the weapon was capable of breaking morale significantly for the inhabitants of the bombed cities. The psychological effect was that it invoked fear into Japanese cities, further developing its possible impact as a weapon. The idea of random attacks and the unknowing of the next terrorized the people of Japan. The citizens were afraid of the sighting of a single plane with the same amount of fear as a hundred planes had been before the bomb dropping. A majority of the survivors of the cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki also panicked and abandoned their homes, leaving construction at a standstill, proving how the bombs psychological effect also impacted the physical economic repair needed right after the bombings (Yale Law School Effect). The impact ultimately added more tension for the Japanese government to surrender, but also proved how the atomic bomb was capable of spanning different regions of destruction and damage when used. Due to the results of the Trinity Test, the thorough process of deciding an appropriate target, and the final effects shown when used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the world was introduced to the atomic bomb, one weapon that had been cloaked in secrecy for years. This new weapon, proven to have revolutionary, colossal power, would leave societies destroyed through

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its lethal consequences, prompting nations, especially Japan, to start defending against the bomb, a potential danger to the population. Not only was the atomic bomb capable of producing mass destruction to cities, it was also able to influence new scientific studies. The atomic bomb foundation on the new discovery of splitting atoms and fission proved to have devastating effects when used in warfare under the power of radiation, pressuring scientists to continue further research. The nuclear weapon was able to influence new research studies such as the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC). The ABCC studied the effects of radiation on human beings by conducting research on atomic bomb victims from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The ABCC soon became one of the longest running medical studies in history. Evan Douple, a researcher in the ABCC, says of the researched victims that their legacy is that their information is going to benefit all of mankind. Douple is proven true when the ABCCs studies helped aid the victims of the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown (Caragol Wells Production Inc.). The atomic bombs victims participation in the ABCCs studies benefitted society by providing data which supported later victims of nuclear attacks due to the advancement of knowledge in radiation. The decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki triggered the development of the ABCC, a commission that researched the effects of radiation, information which affected future events. The researchs significance to the advancement of medicines and health were due to response by the Hiroshima and Nagasaki victims to use their injuries to prevent future attacks and more devastation. As a response to the newly developed atomic bomb weapon, Japan surrendered to the Allies on August 15th, 1945 after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki because of the urgency to protect the war-torn nation from the threat of the possibility of more attacks involving

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nuclear weaponry. The quick withdrawal from the war proved how truly threatened Japan felt from the bombs immense power capabilities. The Japanese were continuously encouraged to surrender by the United States. The United States believed that the unbelievable effects of the atomic bomb would scare the Japanese into surrendering to World War II. However, when there was hesitation by the Japanese to do so, the United States used the power of the atomic bomb to their advantage. Along with dropping close to six million leaflets over Japanese cities to urge citizens to persuade their leaders to do surrender (Walker 78), President Truman warned the Japanese through a statement that concluded, We are now prepared to obliterate rapidly and completelyJapan's power to make war. If they do not now accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on earth (Frank 269). The atomic bombs use as a form of ransom because of its terrifying power proved to work, for the Japanese answered to the United States and its allies through their surrender, obviously intimidated by the consequences of there would be if they chose to neglect. Due to the short period of three days between the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese government believed that the United States were holding a enormous storage of these new, extremely powerful atomic weapons, striking terror into the Japanese who were worried that the whole Japanese homeland may be annihilated and forcing them to submit to the terms of the Allies and surrender. The Japanese Army Minister General Korechika Anami admitted his shared insecurities of the possibilities of upcoming attacks at a cabinet gathering when he said, One atomic bomb could destroy 6 square miles, which was equivalent to 2000 B29s each with 300 conventional bombs of 500 pounds each...the Americans appear to have one hundred atomic bombs...while they could drop three per day. The next target might well be

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Tokyo". Anamis relation to this horrifying scenario added pressure on the irrationality of continuing the war (Frank 292). This discussion led to Japans decision to withdraw from continuing the war as well as helping end the tension of international relations that were built during the war. The Japanese perspective on the atomic bomb influenced their decision to surrender World War II along with proving the atomic bombs powers for significant political effects, leading to the beginning of a united establishment of international policies constituting nuclear weapon use. Henry L. Stimson wrote to President Truman in his memo that the question of sharing [the atomic bomb] with other nations and, if so shared, upon what terms, becomes a primary question of our foreign relations (2). After the use of the atomic bomb and Japanese surrender, Stimson immediately began constructing international nuclear arms policies, confirming the fact the world was entering an atomic era that was caused by the atomic bombing and its new found power. As for the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Stimson was completely against the idea from the beginning, saying that targeting any innocent civilians, even Japanese ones, were acts that stooped to the level of Nazis (Malloy 147). This defiance is what propelled Stimson to begin establishing policies. When the Secretary of State James F. Byrnes wanted to use the bomb as a bargaining tool with the Soviet Union, Stimson disagreed, saying that negotiating with other countries with the atomic bomb will cause them to strive to gain the bomb for themselves, leading to an arms race (Malloy 149). Stimson believed that this would only amplify the idea of power politics, and sharing the controlling factors with the world would help bring the countries together when recuperating after the war (Malloy 148). However, even when Stimson continuously rallied against the bombs use as a monopoly piece for the United States, in the end,

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Truman replied by stating that they would not follow the kind of approach Stimson had advocated so much for and that they were allowing Byrnes to continue his fight for atomic diplomacy (Malloy 156). But just as Stimson had predicted, Byrnes attempt at using the atomic bomb as a negotiation tool failed miserably at a meeting with the Soviet Union (Malloy 156). The basis of international nuclear energy principles by Stimson was set and the atomic bombs power was proven to be so significantly important as a negotiating tool that sharing it would have to be thoroughly thought out, showing how immensely powerful the bomb was politically as well as being influential enough to create policies to direct its use. The atomic bomb was a revolutionary weapon that was first created in the 1940s, yet it still has a powerful impact today. After having its powers shown at Alamogordo as the Trinity Test, it went on to be used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki after extensive target discussions. After the Japanese finally surrendered, greatly impacted by the bomb, talks about sharing this new world menace went on in the United States, ones that had to carefully thought out in order to prevent upcoming nuclear disasters. The creation of just this one, revolutionary bomb was able to create such a tremendous impact, causing effects that were physically, from the extensive damage in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, psychologically, from the invoked fear of the Japanese people, and politically, from the surrender of World War II and the establishment of nuclear arms policies, critical in history due to its remarkable power. The colossal impact on the world from the atomic bomb could only be called revolutionary.