On July 16, 1945, at 5:30 a.m., a group of scientists and military personnel gathered near Alamogordo, New Mexico, witnessed a light brighter than the midday sun. The test, code-named Trinity, was a complete success—humanity had harnessed atomic energy by detonating the first atomic bomb in history.
Less than a month later, on August 6, the whole world learned of the existence of weapons of mass destruction. From the B-29 Superfortress bomber named Enola Gay, piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbets, the atomic bomb Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima. Three days later, Nagasaki faced a similar fate. Japan experienced the devastating force of the United States' new weapon.
The book Countdown 1945, by Chris Wallace and Mitch Weiss, tells the story of the top-secret Manhattan Project, which focused efforts on developing the atomic bomb for seven years. The authors describe the scale of the undertaking from different perspectives, introducing key players and their roles in the project.
The authors of the book are Chris Wallace and Mitch Weiss. Chris is an American journalist and television presenter, a recipient of numerous journalism awards and honors. Mitch is a respected author, investigative journalist, and Pulitzer Prize winner. The book was published in 2020.
The debate over whether the use of weapons of mass destruction against Japan was justified continues, given the immense suffering and tragic impact on the residents of the bombed cities, mainly civilians. Was the decision made by the U.S. president the right one? The authors outline the context of the long, exhausting Pacific War, showing that it was a far more complex issue. From a purely strategic standpoint, President Harry S. Truman may have had no choice—prolonging the conventional war could have meant hundreds of thousands more casualties. The planned Allied invasion of the Japanese Islands, code-named Downfall, was expected to come at an enormous cost.
The authors also address the morality of this decision. Did the Americans have the right to test their new weapon in this way? Did the goal of ending the war sooner justify such a scale of destruction, death, and despair, as well as the long-term effects of radiation sickness? These questions, though without definitive answers, provoke reflection. The authors also delve into the moral dilemmas faced by scientists involved in the Manhattan Project, including well-known physicists and President Truman himself, who assumed office 116 days before the bomb was dropped, following Roosevelt's sudden death.
The authors devote part of the book to describing the events and presenting the perspectives of those near ground zero during and after the bombings. However, it lacks a broader description of the long-term consequences and aftermath of the use of atomic weapons. This might be seen as an oversight, as a deeper exploration of these consequences could encourage readers to reflect more profoundly. Nevertheless, the book provides an accessible portrayal of the Pacific War and the plans to end it, helping readers better understand the motivations of those making decisions at the time. We also learn that many issues were complex and unclear, and participating in the Manhattan Project kept many of its members awake at night.
Personally, I feel a bit dissatisfied with the lack of technical details on the bomb’s operation and the challenges scientists faced. Some topics, in my opinion, added little and could have been omitted in favor of a more in-depth technical analysis.
The book is easy and enjoyable to read, and the structure of the chapters as a countdown to the climax gives it good pacing. I recommend it to anyone who wants to understand the moral, political, and wartime context of the Manhattan Project. However, if the reader is primarily interested in the scientific and technical aspects of building the atomic bomb, they may feel considerable disappointment.
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