PEARL HARBOR
CHAPTER 15 - THE BOMB
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June 18, 1945 was a momentous day in the war against Japan. Two months before, on April 12, FDR had unexpectedly died in Warm Springs, Georgia. Eighteen days later Hitler committed suicide, ending the war in Europe. It seemed, however, that Japanese Imperial forces had no plans to stop fighting. On that summer day in June, Truman knew the United States had a secret weapon: the atomic bomb. The question was: Should he use it? Debating the issue with his closest advisors, Truman was worried. If American forces invaded Japan’s home islands, the human cost would be extraordinary. As he listened to the discussion, Truman remembered the battle of Okinawa. THE PRESIDENT expressed the view that it [an invasion] was practically creating another Okinawa [where thousands of Americans had died] closer to Japan to which the Chiefs of Staff [Truman’s military advisors] agreed. The cost of American lives would be too great. On June 18th President Truman decided to force Japan’s surrender by use of other means. Instead of invading Japan, America would use its new - as yet untested - weapon. Less than thirty days later, the bomb was assembled and successfully detonated in the "Trinity Test." (You will need QuickTime to view this movie.) It was July 16, 1945. At first scientists witnessed a fireball. Sixteen milliseconds later the fireball grew into a full-blown "mushroom" cloud. (Follow this link to the see the notes of a scientist who witnessed the blast. They depict a drawing of the first "mushroom cloud" ever seen.) When Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer witnessed this demonstration, he recalled a line from Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu scriptures: The Destroyer of worlds. Twenty-four hours later scientists observed "Trinity crater," the spot where the bomb went off ("ground zero"). There was no question (this is the authoritative report - you’ll need Adobe PDF to read it) about the bomb’s effectiveness. Its heat was so intense at the test tower it melted the sandy soil, forming a kind of glassy crust (called "trinitite"). Now there was no need to delay. On the day of the test, July 16, components of "Little Boy" were loaded onto the USS Indianapolis. She set sail from San Francisco, headed for Tinian, an American-held island south of Japan. The bomb would be reassembled there, for "delivery" to a Japanese city by a B-29 known as the Enola Gay.  GO TO STORY INDEX |