Summary Of The Manhattan Project Szilard

Leo Szilard initially encouraged the U.S. to develop an atomic energy program known as the Manhattan Project (endorsed by Albert Einstein). In 1942, under the confidentiality of the U.S., government, Szilard along with Enrico Fermi construct the first “neutronic reactor,” a uranium and graphite “pile” in which the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was achieved. (quote) With tension, brewing with government officials Leo Szilard would quickly realized his work would be used against his beliefs. With WWII occurring, in efforts to influence the government from using his scientific patent as an atomic weapon, he petitioned to the U.S. President along with other scientist to not use his scientific development as a weapon and expressed
In his petition, he tries to influence the president to exercise the power as the Commander-in-Chief and consider other means in forcing Japan to surrender outside of using the atomic bomb. Unaware for the scientific background of an atomic bomb, it is implied of the catastrophe it would be using an atomic bomb on a society. Any normal person would agree Szilard petitioning to not use an atomic bomb on a nation was valid. In his petition Szilard hopes to emotionally connect the president in realizing there are other ways to win the war. Szilard tries to remind the president that just a short few years before the letter, the U.S. did not agree on the very same actions Germany did to cities in England. Calling the very same actions
After detonation, Gadget created a crater that measures 2,400 feet across. (quote) The next two bombs that created were “Little Boy” (that was detonated over Hiroshima, Japan) and “Fat Man” (that was detonated over Nagasaki, Japan). Though Szilard did not agree in the use of the project as a weapon, the government felt it was an alternative to losing the men they would loss through a land invasion. Even with the large amount of innocent Japanese lives taken, other scientists believe the atomic bombs was a mean of defending the U.S. after it was attacked. Even after the first bomb, Japan still stood behind their beliefs and refused to surrender. It wasn’t until nine days and two atomic bombs; Japan would ultimately surrendered on August 15, 1945. It makes one wonder even with the death of a hundred thousand Japanese citizens, how far was Japan willing to