Melanie Hoffman
Nukes
For many Americans, nuclear weapons are not a direct concern, and deciding what
to do about them is a low priority. As a culture, we are relatively comfortable possessing
nuclear weapons by believing they are a good security hedge in a dangerous world. We
leave it to our leaders to determine what should be done with these nuclear weapons. The
more the U.S. relies on nuclear weapons, the more likely it is that other countries will do
the same. However, it is fair to say that a small number of nuclear weapons are needed for
deterrence until they are all eliminated. Any threat or use of nuclear weapons for reasons
other than minimum deterrence will most definitely encourage others to seek their own
nuclear arsenals, just to prevent being bullied by nuclear weapon states.
During the time WWII broke out in Europe, American’s were struggling to
compete with German advances in the development of atomic power. In 1940 the U.S.
government allowed a top-secret operation of nuclear testing, codename, The Manhattan
Project. A website called ThinkQuest.com tells “The idea of forming a research team to create a nuclear weapon was endorsed in a letter that Einstein sent to Franklin Roosevelt,
the President of America at that time.” The Manhattan Project was responsible for the
world’s first atomic bomb. July 1945 scientists successfully tested the first atomic bomb
at the Trinity test site in New Mexico. As the U.S. was conducting the Manhattan project
the allied powers had already defeated Germany and Europe. Japan was a different story,
they vowed to fight to the bitter end in the Pacific, even though they had little chance of
winning. It was in 1945 that Harry Truman took office. General Douglas MacArthur
favored continuing the bombing of Japan already in effect and following up with a
massive invasion, called “Operation downfall.” Truman was advised that such a high
casualty rate would result in...