Annotated Bibliography on the Use of Nuclear Weapons during WWII - Assignment Example

Most of primary sources date back to the time when historical events happened. During world war two in 1945, the United States of America attacked Japan with several nuclear bombs. These bombs carry the names ‘little boy’ and ‘fat man’. Primary sources on the nuclear weapons reveal a lot of information on the effects of the bombs. Laurence, William. “NAGASAKI WAS THE CLIMAX OF THE NEW MEXICO TEST,” LIFE Vol.19 (13) (1945). 30-31. The ‘LIFE’ magazine acts as a good primary source sine it was one of the magazines reporting on the happenings of the world war in 1945.

The September 24, 1945 issue had a cover photo of military men in war. This photo gave the reader an insight on the then ongoing war. That was the second war that brought about the nuclear weapons. Laurence William authored the article, “NAGASAKI WAS THE CLIMAX OF THE NEW MEXICO TEST”. The author had the mandate of making official reporting on all proceedings of the trials and release of the atomic bombs and provides firsthand information of the release “Fat man’. Since he was among the crew of people dropping the bomb on Nagasaki, his article becomes very dependable.

He expresses the thrill of the crew because they had every hope that the bombing of Nagasaki would be the end of the Second World War. He then elaborates the explosion of the radioactive bomb, giving details, of the effects on the city and land. He describes the resulting crater, the flashing of the atomic light, the uprising of dust-like fire that he calls a new living thing. The article captures the attention of the reader because it has an illustration of the real damage on the ground. It paints a picture of the massive impact of atomic power.

He must have written the article to narrate the experience to the United States audience. This bomb marked the end of the Second World War and a clear description of the exact bombing mission was of great interest to the American public. The article paints a picture of the atomic explosion that marked the end of the war but remains in history for its effects. Marshak, R. E., Nelson, E. C. and Schiff, L. I. “Atomic Bomb Damage-Japan and USA,”Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Vol. 1 (10) (1946). 6. The bulletin of atomic scientists is another valuable primary source that contains articles on the breakthroughs in atomic science.

The May 1, 1946 issue elaborated the potential of the atomic bomb. Marshak, Nelson, and Schiff describe the destructive causes of the atomic bomb. The authors give details of how the blast, heat, gamma rays, and byproducts on the ground cause destruction. According to the authors, the blast causes collapse of buildings while the heat or fire can result to burns. In addition, the gamma rays cause devastating effects to the people and to objects on the ground. The Bulletin of the atomic scientists aims at updating the public on development in nuclear weapon development and this is the reason why the authors elaborate their facts in understandable terms.

Cate, James, United States Air Force , Air Historical Group, United States, USAF Historical Division, Officer of Air force History. The Army Air Forces in World War II: Plans and early operations, January 1939 to August 1942, (Pennsylvania: DIANE Publishing, 1948), 1-7. This is a book written by Cate James and different offices of the United States