The Chain Reaction of Preemption

posted at 10:15 a.m.

The push for the atomic bomb in the Soviet Union seems to have had an even greater sense of urgency than the effort in America. While America spent a great deal of time and effort building the bomb as a possible way of ending World War Two, the brutal battle on the eastern front between Russia and German made the Soviet Union’s pursuit of the bomb almost impossible. While patriotism and the defeat of fascism was on scientists minds at Los Alamos they did not experience the suffering and fighting in their homes like Soviet scientists did. Further, from earlier readings we know that Truman may have used the bomb on Japan to send a message to the Soviet Union. Therefore Stalin’s pursuit of the bomb seemed to be an act of survival. While there was talk in the reading of the Soviet Union wanting to remain one the three superpowers (the United States and Britain included) the urgency of building the bomb of World War Two was greatly due to the Soviets belief that they were headed for another unbearable war.

In the years preceding World War Two the imagery of the atom being smashed fit in well with Soviet propaganda, and while the development of nuclear weapons was still part of their propaganda, developing the atom bomb and then the hydrogen bomb after the war was about deterring the United States. Instead of trying a unique root to the bomb that might have proved more cost effective and spread the Soviet Union’s scientific reputation, which was suggested by some leading Soviet scientists, Soviet politicians understood the urgency of building a bomb and took no risks, and used a process mimicking the Manhattan project that was very costly. In the years after World War Two the Soviet Union was completely devastated and had many structural issues. Therefore the fact that Soviet Union chose the most expensive approach shows their fears about American nuclear dominance. If Truman was willing to drop two atom bombs on Japan just to send a message to the Soviet Union, then it must have seemed that the United States was capable of anything.

I once again found the relationship between scientists and politicians fascinating. In deciding to build the atomic bomb in the style of the Manhattan project rather than an alternative method, it is described the ‘time and security had to be valued over scientists egos’. While it clear that scientists and politicians butted heads in this process, with one scientists complaining that leaders of the projects had to have scientific vision, scientists were deeply committed to the cause. Many of them believed in building of the bomb as a patriotic duty, and like American scientists it does not appear that they seriously questioned the morality of their venture until years later (1955). Further in order to build the bomb after the war scientists sacrificed safety for time restraints and engaged in risky experiments without proper testing that could have lead to radiation damage, in order to work as quickly as possible. From our readings much earlier in the class, and these readings, we know that it was not always a smooth relationship between the communist party and scientists, but it appears that all of Russia had been so devastated by Germany in World War Two that many scientist were willing to do a great deal to protect their homeland.

Finally, the descriptions of the Physics being used to build the bomb in this reading mentioned the importance of chain reactions. It appears that Truman’s pre-emptive strike against the Soviet Union, through his bombing of Japan, set off a chain of events that guaranteed a cold war and massive nuclear build up. While it is certainly possible that America and the Soviet Union were headed for some type of conflict anyway, Truman’s preemptive steps towards war guaranteed a conflict and destroyed any chance for reconciliation. While preemptive war may prevent some other type of conflict, it guarantees that there will be conflict and suffering. This is a lesson that our government has earned well over the last four and a half years.