GIANT ALLIED ATOMIC BOMB

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 7 August 1945, Page 5

GIANT ALLIED ATOMIC BOMB

HARNESSING BASIC POWER OF UNIVERSE

JAPANESE RECEIVE FIRST TASTE OF DESTRUCTION

<Rec. 10.55 a.m.) Washington, August 6. An atomic bomb, more powerful than 20,000 tons of T.N.T. and producing a blast 2000 times greater than the largest bomb previously used, was dropped to-day on Hiroshima by the United States Army Air Force. Hitherto on the secret list, the existence of this terrifically destructive bomb was revealed by President Truman in a statement from White House.

The War Secretary, Mr H. L. Stimson, predicted that the bomb would prove a tremendous aid in shortening the war against Japan.

President Truman said: “The ultimatum from Potsdam, issued on 26th July, was intended to spare the Japanese people utter destruction, but the Japanese leaders rejected it, so the atomic bomb is the Allied answer to that. The Japanese may now expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on earth. The Germans worked feverishly searching for a way to use atom*'* energy, but failed. "In the meantime British and American scientists studied the problem and developed two principal plants and lesser- factories for the production of atomic power, persons working in great secrecy at these plants. We spent 2,000,000,000 dollars on the greatest scientific gamble in history, and we won. The atomic bnmb harnesses the basic power of the universe—the force from which the sun draws its power has been loosed against those who brought war to the Far East. now prepared to completely obliterate more rapidly every productive enterprise the Japanese have above the ground in any city. We shall completely destroy Japanese power to make war.”

The base hit with the first bomb is an important quartermaster’s depot with large ordnance, machine, tool and aircraft plants. The city has a population of 318,000 persons. Hiroshima is also an important port.

President Truman forecast: “Sea and land forces wil follow up this attack i n such numbers and power as the Japanese never witnessed. This discovery may open the way for an entirely new concept of force and power. The actual harnessing of atomic energy may in future supplement power that now comes from coal and oil. It has never been the habit of scientists, or this Government’s policy to withhold scientific knowledge.

“Normally everything about atomic energy would have been published but that must wait until the war emergency is over. The atomic bomb has more than 2000 times the blast power of the British ‘Grand Slam’ which hitherto was the largest used. "The Japanese began the war from the air at Pearl Harbour: They have been repaid manyfold and the end is not yet. With this bomb we have added a new and revolutionary increase in destruction to supplement the growing power of our armed forces. Bombs are now i n production and even more powerful forms are in the development stage. BATTLE OF LABORATORIES “By 1943 the Germans were feverish- , ly working to discover a way to use atomic energy, with which they hoped to enslave the world, but tney failed. We may be grateful to Providence that the Germans produced V-l and V-2 too laic and even more grateful that they did not get the atomic bomb. The ba'tle of the laboratories held fateful risks for us as well as the battles of the ai~, land and sea. We have now won the battle of the laboratories as well as other battles. "Beginning in 1940, scientific knowledge useful ;n the war was pooled between Britain and America and much priceless help our victories came from that arrangement, under which a general policy of research on the atomic bomb was begun. With British and American scientists working together we entered the race of discovery against the Germans. Tl % United States had available a large number of distinguished scientists in many needed areas of knowledge, -also tremendous industrial and financial resources necessary for the project which could be devoted to it without impairment of other vital war work.

"In the United States laboratory work and production plants were out of reach of enemy bombing, while at that time Britain was exposed to constant air attacks and still threatened with invasion. For those reasons Mr Churchill and the late President Roosevelt agreed that it was wise to carry on the project here. We now have two great plants and many lesser works for the production of atomic power. Employees during the peak numbered 125,000 and many of these employees have been working 30 months, few knowing what they were producing. AMAZINGLY SHORT TIME “Both science and Industry worked under the direction of the United States Army, achieving unique success in an amazingly short time. What has been done is the greatest achievement of organised science in history’. “The bombs have been developed in factories in Tennessee, Washington and New Mexico. The fact that we can release atomic energy ushers in a new era in man’s understanding of nature’s forces. Atomic energy may supplement power now coming from coal, oil, and falling water. It! cannot be produced on a .basis commercially for a long period. 1 Intensive research is necessary. “Under the present circumstances ! it is not intended to divulge the technical processes of the production of ] all military applications, pending fur- ! ther examination of possible methods ; of protecting us and the rest of the] world from danger of sudden de- ! struction. I* will recommend Congress to establish an appropriate commission to control production and the use of atomic power within the United States.” HIROSHIMA CLOAKED IN SMOKE Mr Stimson said an impenetrable' cloud of dust and smoke cloaked ] Hiroshima after dropping the atomic I bomb. Uranium ore was essential in ' the bomb’s production. The bomb’s \ explosive power staggered imagina- , tion. Nevertheless, scientists were i confident that even more powerful atomic bombs would be produced. | He was convinced Japan would not be in a position to use a similar ■weapon. t

PLACE IN PEACETIME INDUSTRY

Mr Stimson added that a laboratory to deal with technical problems was established near Santa Fe and directed by Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, whose genius and inspiration was largely responsible for the development of the bomb. Atomic energy would have a big place in peacetime industry. Already much energy was , being released unexplosively, but in regulated amounts. This energy, however, was in the form of heat at a temperature too low to make practicable the operation of a conventional power olant. It would b e a matter of much further research and development to design machines for the conversion of atomic energy into useful power. When it was decided that work on the bomb should be concentrated in the United States, a group of British , scientists who were working on the problem were transferred to America in 1943 and since then they had participated in the project’s development. In addition, one of Denmark’s greatest scientists, Dr. Neils Bohr, was whisked from th e grasp of. the Nazis in Denmark. Later he helped in the bomb’s development. Initially President Roosevelt named a general policy group, which was composed of the Vice-President, Mr Wallace, the Secretary for War, Mr Stimson, the Chief of Staff, General Marshall, the President of Harvard University, Dr. Conant and Dr. Fannevar Bush. In ' 1943 a combined policy committee included Field Marshal Sir John Dill and Colonel Llewellin, for the United Kingdom, and Mr G. D. Howe, for Canada. Colonel Llewellin was later replaced by Sir Ronald Campbell, who was subsequently succeeded by Lord Halifax. Also Sir John Dill was succeeded by General Sir Henrv Maitland Wilson. SHIPPING BOMBED AIR OPERATIONS IN BURMA Colombo, August 6. A South-East Asia Command communique states: “Four direct hits and three near misses were made on a 3000-ton vessel in Tjilatjap harbour on the south coast of Java by Liberators of the Air Command on Saturday. Quayside installations were also attacked. A 100 ft vessel and an 30ft vessel were sunk off Pranburi, on Kra Isthmus, by other Liberators the same day. Damage was also caused to railway installations at Pranburi, which is on the Bangkok-Singapore railway. A 100 ft barge blew up south of Kahsamui Island, off Kra Isthmus, after a direct hit by a Sunderland which also strafed two schooners and 20 smaller craft. In Burma our troops operating on the Toungoo-Mawchi road advanced without meeting opposition. South of Myitkye our artillery engaged the enemy. Our troops operating in the flooded area between Kyitkye and the Sittang River bend met with continued heavy resistance.” RESISTANCE ON LUZON DESPERATE JAPANESE COUNTERATTACKS New York, August 6. Small forces of Japanese, desperately resisting the American clean-up on Luzon, counter-attacked at two points on 2nd. 3rd and 4th August, but were beaten back, says the Manila correspondent of the Associated Press of America. It is estimated that 7000 Japanese are still holding out in groups of company size or smaller. Forty-five days’ leave in the United States will be given the soldier capturing alive any of the Japanese generals holed up ip north Luzon, according to an order from Major-General William Gill, 32nd Division Commander. The generals are reported to include General Yamashita. General Gill previously offered a case of beer and a three-day pass to Manila for each live , prisoner, but the troops brought in the Japanese so fast that the bounty was ; discontinued. missingcTvilians BELIEVED MURDERED BY ENEMY . . Ne w York, August 5. ' au reported in Chungking \ that ciO.OOO Chinese civilians are missing from the area of Kanshsien 240 miles north of Hong Kong. Reports { state that the Japanese killed them 1 during their six months* occupation I - According to the Chinese -Central * News.” more than 1000 civilians were j ( murdered at Icfcang up to July 31. These | r Chinese died of poisonous injections i which the Japanese had pretended I were inoculations against meningitis. r A Japanese "floating pocket.” which is a force of 20,000 troops, withdrawing / [rom Kanshien to Manchang. has made further progress and is now approachng Sinkau, 65 miles below Nanchang. ( says an Associated Press correspondent. West and South of. Nanchang n rapanese relief forces which struck f westward from Nanchang and east- * ward from Hunan Province have ap- e >arently linked up in a manoeuvre de- f igned to protect the floating pocket. "

Late in 1939 President Roosevelt drew attention to the possibility of using atomic energy and named a committee to investigate. By June, 1942, sufficient progress had been made to warrant a big expansion of the project.