Review Of 'The Making Of The Atomic Bomb' By Richard Rhodes

Throughout the book Richard Rhodes sets out describing the background, and deployment of the first atomic bomb in mankind history. The atomic bomb is the most dramatic invention of mankind history considering the arms race between the United States and Germany. Rhodes thesis is not much of an argument and how he defends it, it is about the significance of unfolding one of the most terrifying achievement of mankind. Everyone gains the knowledge of the bombing of Hiroshima –but only if people would recognize the effect and the end of World War II and the first use of the atomic bomb “New nuclear powers are a threat, we are warned; old nuclear powers keep the peace.” (AB 1)

In Rhodes introduction he warns us about the danger of the atomic bomb and how the usage of this weapon can lead to mass destruction if in the hand of the enemy “ for if we believe that the spread of the nuclear weapon is inevitable then in some way we are admitting to ourselves that the use of nuclear weapons is inevitable.” (AB 8) Rhodes leaves you putting pieces together, but he states his thesis in pieces from the foreword to the next few chapters. Rhodes babbles about World War II and the fading Manhattan Project and the built-up tension that the Manhattan Project lead us to the bombing of Hiroshima and poor Nagasaki. (AB 1) In moonshine he introduces us to a Hungarian theoretical physicist Leo Szilard who went to University of Berlin university of Budapest’s, Minta taking the Eotvos Prize the Hungarian noble prize, Technische Hochschule the technology institute, and University’s institute for Theoretical Physics who founded the science X-ray crystallography. (AB17) Szilard has a long history of scientific education he even devoted two years of his life to engineering and a year to the Army. (AB 19) Szilard is a very victorious man he has an extensive life time of science and noble prizes Physics, X- Ray crystal, to nuclear fusion. J.J. Thompson who worked with cathode rays and Ernest Rutherford elaborated together on detecting radio waves two well known scientist who made a break thought science.

German physicist Wilhelm Rontgen who discovered X ray radiating from the fluorescing glass wall of s cathode-ray tube he then reported his discovery stunned the world and was assisted by Rutherford’s skills in an experiment. Germany and the British have competed with each other’s military they raced with each other to the and gain the support of allies. The tension between Germany, British and the U.S builds up from the attack on Ypres the first poison gas attack of the war. Nothing came from this but agony Ypres. U.S. and Germany race against each other throughout the wars. Germany was ahead by warfare as far as mustard gas, bombs, and artillery. The Germans bombed London in 1918 for a cause of peace by “destroying the morale of the English people and “paralyzing their will to fight”. (Long Grave Already Dug 100) After the introduction of mustard gas the U.S. fell behind in warfare and yet caught the British’s attention of how important Americans contribution to this war would be. When the Americans caught up to the army trench warfare and the army invented the machine gun Military historian John Keegan: For the most important thing about a machine-gun is that it is a machine and one of quite an advanced type, similar in some respects to a high-precision lathe, in others to an automatic press. Like a lathe, it requires to be set up, so that it will operate within desired and predetermined limits: this was done on the Maxim gun … by adjusting the angle of the barrel relative to its fixed firing platform its functions with a minimum of human attention, supplying its own power and only requiring a steady supply of raw material and a little routine maintenance to operate efficiently throughout a working shift.( AB102) Rhodes describes cliques of scientist very competitive while assisting each other, very outstanding and leading. They seem to compete to finish the right formula of chemicals for the project. He also cliques scientist in with the military branches and which branch support each scientist more and which branch will be responsible for this dangerous weapon.

The Army and Navy had competition of who would help with the atomic bomb and what it seemed like, yet they assisted each other and the scientist who were building the atomic bomb. Scientist Fermi and Szilard who worked on the Manhattan Project involve themselves with the military branches. Fermi had engaged himself into the Navy drawn to the Navy’s form which he gained support from the Navy to build the atomic bomb. While Szilard tried getting support from the U.S. Army. Adamson the Army representative received a letter from Szilard requesting a possibility of reducing the Army’s budget so he can have enough money for the atomic bomb creation. Adamson gives in to his request “all alright, all alright,” “you’ll get your money.” Battle between British and Germany sparked as British tried killing the Germans and Germans tried killing the French and so on so forth. So, war carried on and the pot was being mixed during the mar more warfare was produced a new death machine a tank. (AB103) Rhodes covers certain attacks from Germany and the axis power that lead to a series of war that lead up to World War II. Such as the bombing of Warsaw, the “Phony War” a period of time in the war just after the blitzkrieg invaded Poland in September 3, 1939, Battle of Britain July 10 – October 31, 1940 which lasted for three months, Operation Sea Lion which was the invasion of the U.K., and the bombing of Barcelona. Rhodes set the scenes as he mentions these events because it was important that the reader knows how aggressive Germany was becoming and the U.S. and the allies were facing real trouble of domination. The scenes are blood baths of millions of men woman and children dying due to the hunger of Germany and the axis power. Warfare race between the U.S. and Germany increased once Germany’s atomic bomb project began it was a race now to have the most dangerous weapon that