Discovery, Deceit Ingenuity that Lead to the Atomic Bomb - Book Report/Review Example

Discovery, Deceit Ingenuity that lead to the Atomic Bomb Introduction The discovery of radioactivity when Uranium atom is split into two, by a German chemist, Otto Hahn in 1938 lead to unprecedented outmaneuvering and spying wits between nations in three continents. The author refers to Hahn’s discovery as simple and that it lead to unparalleled scientific and military race consuming mostly United States, USSR, Germany , Britain and Norway and Japan bearing the brunt of the discovery. In the United States and in Great Britain, the Soviet KGB’s spied their way by penetrating the scientific community. Another event occurred in Norway as a nationalist leaning commando force glided behind enemy lines to attack German heavy-water manufacturing. Finally deep in New Mexico desert the government hid a bright group of scientists at a secluded location in Los Alamos. This captivating story by Steve Sheinkin provides thrilling pieces of deceit, plots, risk taking and ingenuity that lead to the world’s most formidable weapon of mass destruction, the atomic weapon. The book is divided into three back and forth plots forming the entire story: the concepts used in making the bomb, its production and finally, theft of the technology by the Soviet spies. Manhattan Project In the aftermath of Hahn’s discovery that proved Uranium atoms would split into two when hit by neutrons from a radioactive element, scientists and government agencies were in a spin. The race was built on first nations that would apply the scientific breakthrough to build an atomic bomb. In the United States, physicist, Robert Oppenheimer was handpicked by the administration to lead a team of scientists, known as the Manhattan Project. A secret location in the desert of New Mexico was identified and Los Alamos was identified to be the ideal city for the project which included the laboratory and a testing unit for the project. The Test Sheinkin paints a vivid picture of the first time the bomb was experimented at the Trinity site in the city of initial production. The scientists had flocked inside a bomb shelter, only capturing the moments through thick glasses, used to protect their sight and body from the harmful effects of radioactivity. In an illuminating picture of the scene, the author uncharacteristically remarks that the scientists were quite content, elated at the outcome of the ingenuity (Sheinkin 184). However, after the jubilation that marked the initial test of the bomb, the scientists were taken aback by the potential impacts of the bomb. Sheinkin quoted the scientist expressing great regret of the possible effects and conflicts “….doing something they love to build the deadliest weapon inhuman history” (Sheinkin 184). Though a little bit technical, Sheinkin weaves through the bomb making process that incorporated top physics minds lured to America from all over the world. A striking character in the thick of the process is a bright, pimply, and cocky teenage scientist, Ted Hall from Harvard who gave away the world’s top secret. Indeed in the book, the teenage scientist emerges as a controversial and fascinating character throughout, yet he only moves to Las Amos just in 1944, a period that that was considerably late given the thrilling pace of the bomb race (Sheinkin 197). Ethical and Moral Questions In between the lines, the historical perspectives provide a structure of the story that is probably apparent but keeps the reader vividly attached to the line. The production process at the laboratory provides stories of certain personalities that are very dramatic, prompting he reader to seek and anticipate the outcome, but to patiently wait as the suspense hangs on throughout the story. However, Sheinkin knits the story up to the extent that the reader cognitively reflects on the characters and how they ended up. The lead scientist taken aback with the potential of the bomb urges the government to renegade on its effort to build the bomb, and instead focus on diplomacy. In the book, the use of the photographs by the author to give the reader not only mere text but also graphic details of the scenes is enough to understand the process. They are compelling when examined closely. In differing with the present trends in radioactive research, the photographs show that the scientist are casually handling the radioactive materials, but unaware of the extreme danger posed by radioactivity to human health. Stranglehold of Germany’s Creation Just like the United States and Britain, Germany was also in the race to develop the weapon as the discovery of the fissions had been made within their territory. As the WWII raged and Hitler’s determination to conquer the whole world continued, the two nation’s efforts to put a stranglehold on Hitler’s quest was aided by an elite Norway force. Deep in their homeland, the Nazi regime had set up a high security military laboratory site for the manufacturing of heavy water (Sheinkin 148). The elite Norway force lead by the impregnable Knut Haukelid, who performed a movie like operation to thwart the efforts of the Nazi regime. Their operations were skillful and derailed Germany’s efforts in being at par with the nuclear nations, a point in history that would be reveled to the Norwegian crew. USSR Determination and Ultimate Test of the Bomb The Second World War had united the United States, Britain and USSR towards common enemies lead by Hitler’s Germany, and despite the cooperation between these three nations, the first two capitalists nations distrusted the communist nation and did everything to avoid sharing information on the atomic bombs. It took the skill maneuvering of the soviet spies and some US espionages for the technology to finally reach the Soviet nation. Indeed, where national security and national interests are involved, keeping technology a secret or containing such information is practically impossible. This underscores the gist of the story covering the espionage. To Oppenheimer horror, Klaus Fuchs and others handed over the important documents to the Soviets, and often claimed that the latter acted in that way to pay certain debts and personal obligation. The soviet spies had infiltrated the Manhattan projects as some had worked in the projects and indeed the communist nation harbored intentions of stealing the plans that could be used in creating the atomic bombs. In the race to the bombs creation, the communist nation did not want to be left behind, as a plan that is already in place would be better compared to a novel project designed from scratch. Sheinkin through thrilling depiction of the manner in which classified information in government reports and archival materials were the object of the spies’ interests. The book dwelt into the process in which the soviet spies transported scientific discoveries across the international borders, undetected, and interestingly when the whole world was at war. Additionally, the spies looked into the means of ferrying the scientists involved in the creation of the atomic bomb. In a retaliatory attack and halt the Japanese incursions, the author noted that the United States made a balanced decision to attack Japan using the atomic bomb technology. In the process of narrating to the buildup of the bombing, the author creates tension in the story. Though the bomb was dropped in Japan after calculative decision making process, the author remarks at the tail of devastation left in the wake of the bombings. This plagued the lead scientists, Oppenheimer for several years, a clear battle of ethics versus and science. Conclusion Spies, soldiers and scientists alike are faced with moral issues throughout the character development. Ted Hall, Oppenheimer, Klaus Fuchs, all faced the ultimate weight of their actions and searches for means of redeeming such actions. The remarkable part of the story is the secrecy of the Manhattan project and the eventual actions leading its stealing. The story reminds the current world of the burden carried by those in that period. The persistent realization that a safe world demands a lot of patience and diplomacy and with the pace of technology as it currently is then the burden of safety just does not lay with the policy makers, but a lot of personalities; scientists, spies, and military personnel. This is thought provoking to say the least, but a comprehensive piece of information that signaled the importance of world peace. Work Cited Sheinkin, Steve. Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World's Most Dangerous Weapon. New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2012. Print. Read More