- 5/18/2025
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00:00In 1942, Nazi Germany
00:29controlled much of the European continent.
00:33Meanwhile, across the Atlantic,
00:35130,000 people,
00:37including scientists, engineers,
00:39and construction workers
00:40with a $2 billion budget
00:42were engaged in a secret project
00:45that would forever change the world.
00:47Most of these workers were unaware
00:49of the project's ultimate goal
00:50due to the high level of secrecy.
00:53This initiative would become known
00:54as the Manhattan Project,
00:57a program focused on the research
00:59and development of the first nuclear weapons.
01:03From 1942 to 1946,
01:06the project was led
01:07by Major General Leslie Groves
01:09of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
01:11while nuclear physicist
01:13J. Robert Oppenheimer
01:14was the director of the Los Alamos laboratory
01:17that designed the bombs.
01:19Groves and Oppenheimer decided
01:21that for security reasons,
01:22they needed to establish a centralized,
01:25secret research laboratory
01:26in a remote location.
01:29This would become known as Project Y.
01:32Oppenheimer favored a location in New Mexico
01:34at a site he knew well.
01:36A flat mesa near Santa Fe, New Mexico,
01:39which was the site of a private boys' school.
01:42The Los Alamos laboratory was built
01:44on the site of the school,
01:45taking over some of its buildings.
01:47At the Los Alamos laboratory,
01:50Oppenheimer gathered the best physicists of the time,
01:53calling them the luminaries.
01:55Initially, the team at Los Alamos
01:57focused on creating a plutonium-based
02:00gun-type fission weapon
02:01nicknamed Thin Man.
02:04However, by April 1944,
02:05they realized that this type of plutonium
02:08had a high rate of spontaneous fission
02:11due to plutonium-240,
02:13which could trigger a premature detonation.
02:16Oppenheimer then reorganized the laboratory
02:18and orchestrated a successful effort
02:21on an alternative design
02:22proposed by John von Neumann,
02:25an implosion-type nuclear weapon,
02:27which was called Fat Man,
02:29and a gun-type design using uranium-235,
02:32which became known as Little Boy.
02:34While the sense of accomplishment
02:36for Oppenheimer and his luminaries
02:38was significant in that their work paid off,
02:41they never knew who could be watching.
02:44Concerns about whether the complex
02:46Fat Man design would work
02:47led to a decision to conduct
02:49the first nuclear test.
02:52Prior to this test,
02:53there was also some concern among scientists
02:55that a nuclear explosion
02:57might initiate a reaction
02:59that could ignite the atmosphere.
03:01Based on the theoretical possibility
03:03that a nuclear explosion
03:05could generate temperatures high enough
03:06to cause a fusion reaction
03:08in nitrogen atoms in the atmosphere,
03:10leading to a catastrophic chain reaction.
03:14However,
03:15after detailed calculations and discussions,
03:18they concluded that such an outcome
03:19was extremely unlikely.
03:21So they went on with the test.
03:24The codename Trinity
03:25was assigned by Oppenheimer himself,
03:28who along with some 425 people
03:30were present on the weekend of the test.
03:33They were told to lie face down on the ground
03:35and wear black goggles
03:36to protect their eyes
03:38from the intense flash of the explosion.
03:40On July 16th, 1945,
04:00at 5.29 a.m.,
04:01the United States Army
04:03conducted the first-ever detonation
04:05of a nuclear weapon.
04:06The test was of an implosion-designed plutonium bomb,
04:11nicknamed the Gadget.
04:13While watching the explosion,
04:15Oppenheimer remembered a line
04:16from the Bhagavad Gita,
04:18Now I am become death,
04:20the destroyer of worlds.
04:23On the other side of the world,
04:25U.S. President Harry Truman
04:26was at the Potsdam Conference
04:28in the Soviet occupation zone of Germany
04:30when he received the news
04:31through a coded message
04:32from Secretary of War Henry Stimson,
04:34informing him that the test
04:36had been successful,
04:38beyond expectations.
04:40This crucial information
04:41greatly influenced the discussions
04:43at the Potsdam Conference,
04:45especially in how Truman
04:46handled diplomatic negotiations
04:48with the Soviet Union
04:49about ending the war
04:51and shaping the post-war world.
04:54When Truman informed Stalin
04:55of the atomic bomb,
04:57he said that the United States
04:58had a new weapon
04:59of unusual destructive force.
05:02But Stalin had full knowledge
05:04of the atomic bomb's development
05:05from Soviet spy networks
05:07inside the Manhattan Project,
05:10and told Truman at the conference
05:12that he hoped Truman
05:12would make good use of it
05:14against the Japanese.
05:16On July 26, 1945,
05:19the United States, Britain, and China
05:21issued the Potsdam Declaration,
05:24outlining Japan's terms of surrender.
05:26The declaration came
05:28with a firm ultimatum.
05:30We will not deviate from them.
05:32There are no alternatives.
05:33We shall brook no delay.
05:35The declaration demanded
05:37the elimination
05:37of military influence in governance,
05:40limited Japanese sovereignty
05:41to the main islands,
05:42and called for complete disarmament,
05:45emphasizing democratic reforms
05:46and human rights.
05:48It also outlined terms
05:50for economic rehabilitation
05:51and the path towards
05:53a peace-oriented self-government
05:55under Allied occupation
05:57until these goals were met.
05:59The mention of unconditional surrender
06:01came at the end
06:03of the declaration.
06:04We call upon the government of Japan
06:06to proclaim now
06:07the unconditional surrender
06:09of all Japanese armed forces
06:11and to provide proper
06:13and adequate assurances
06:14of their good faith
06:16in such action.
06:17The alternative for Japan
06:19is prompt and utter destruction.
06:23American bombers dropped
06:24over three million leaflets
06:25describing the declaration
06:27over Japan,
06:28even though picking up
06:29enemy propaganda leaflets
06:30and listening to foreign radio broadcasts
06:33was illegal in Japan.
06:35The terms of the declaration
06:37sparked intense debate
06:38within the Japanese government.
06:40After receiving the declaration,
06:42Foreign Minister Togo
06:43quickly convened a meeting
06:45with Prime Minister Suzuki
06:46and Cabinet Secretary Sakomizu.
06:50Sakomizu noted
06:51that there was a consensus
06:53on the need to accept
06:54the declaration.
06:55However,
06:56despite leaning towards acceptance,
06:58Togo found the terms vague
07:00regarding Japan's
07:01future government structure,
07:03disarmament processes
07:04and the fate
07:05of accused war criminals.
07:08He also hoped
07:08that the Soviet Union
07:09might mediate negotiations
07:11with the Western allies
07:12to clarify
07:13and possibly revise the terms.
07:16However,
07:17as we will see,
07:18Togo's hope
07:19for Soviet mediation
07:20would ultimately backfire
07:22dramatically.
07:25Shortly after,
07:26Togo met with Emperor Hirohito
07:28and advised him
07:29to consider the declaration
07:31very carefully,
07:32suggesting they delay a response
07:34until they heard
07:34from the Soviets
07:35about mediating peace.
07:37According to a foreign
07:38ministry official,
07:40Hirohito immediately expressed
07:41that he found the declaration
07:42acceptable in principle.
07:45Meanwhile,
07:45the Supreme Council
07:46for the direction of the war
07:48met the same day
07:49to discuss the declaration.
07:51War Minister Anami,
07:53General Umezu,
07:54and Admiral Toyoda,
07:56opposed accepting
07:57the declaration,
07:58argued that the terms
07:59were too dishonorable
08:00and advised for the Japanese government
08:03to reject it openly.
08:05On the other hand,
08:06Suzuki, Togo,
08:07and Admiral Yonai
08:08were inclined to accept
08:09the declaration,
08:10but agreed that
08:11clarification was needed
08:13over the status
08:13of the emperor.
08:15Ultimately,
08:16the council accepted
08:17Togo's proposal
08:18to delay their response
08:19until they received
08:20a reply from the Soviets.
08:23Suzuki stated
08:23that the Japanese policy
08:25toward the declaration
08:26was one of
08:27mokusatsu,
08:29killing with silence,
08:31which the United States
08:32interpreted as meaning
08:33rejection by ignoring.
08:35This led to a decision
08:38by the White House
08:38to carry out
08:39the threat of destruction.
08:41In Operation Meeting House,
08:43Tokyo had already been
08:44extensively damaged
08:46by firebombing raids,
08:47which reduced its value
08:49as a target
08:49for demonstrating
08:50the power of the atomic bomb.
08:52Tokyo was also
08:53the seat of the emperor
08:54and the location
08:55of high-ranking military officers.
08:58Preserving these individuals
08:59was crucial for negotiations
09:01and to facilitate a surrender.
09:03Initially considered
09:05as a target,
09:06Kyoto was removed
09:08from the list
09:08due to its cultural importance
09:10and replaced by Nagasaki.
09:13The targets chosen
09:14for the atomic bombs
09:15were Hiroshima,
09:16Kokura,
09:17Niigata,
09:18and Nagasaki.
09:20These cities were selected
09:21because they were
09:22large urban areas
09:23with significant
09:25military facilities.
09:27Hiroshima,
09:28in particular,
09:29was a major supply
09:30and logistics base
09:31for the Japanese military.
09:32It served as a vital
09:34communications center,
09:35a key port for shipping,
09:37and an assembly area
09:38for troops.
09:40The city also housed
09:41a substantial war industry,
09:43producing parts for planes,
09:45boats,
09:45as well as bombs.
09:47So, naturally,
09:48residents wondered
09:48why Hiroshima
09:49had been spared
09:50from firebombing
09:51that ravaged other cities.
09:53Some speculated
09:54that Hiroshima
09:55was being preserved
09:56for future
09:56U.S. occupation headquarters,
09:59while others wondered
10:00if their relatives
10:00in Hawaii and California,
10:02had appealed
10:03to the U.S. government
10:04to spare the city.
10:06But Hiroshima
10:07was spared
10:08for a completely
10:08different reason.
10:10On August 6, 1945,
10:13the B-29 bomber,
10:15Enola Gay,
10:16named after
10:16Colonel Paul Tibbetts' mother
10:18and piloted
10:19by Tibbetts himself,
10:20took off
10:21from Northfield
10:21on Tinian,
10:22destined for Japan.
10:25Enola Gay
10:25was part of a trio
10:26that included
10:27two other B-29s.
10:29The Great Artiste,
10:31commanded by Major
10:32Charles Sweeney,
10:33which carried
10:33instrumentation,
10:35and a then nameless aircraft
10:36later named
10:37Necessary Evil,
10:38was tasked
10:39with photography.
10:41After leaving Tinian,
10:42Enola Gay
10:43made its way
10:43separately to Iwo Jima
10:44to rendezvous
10:45with the Great Artiste
10:47and the Necessary Evil aircraft
10:48at 5.55
10:49and set course
10:51for Japan.
10:52Parsons,
10:53who was in command
10:53of the mission,
10:54had witnessed
10:55four B-29s crash
10:57and burn at take-off
10:58and feared
10:59that a nuclear explosion
11:00would occur
11:01if a B-29 crashed
11:03with an armed
11:03little boy on board.
11:05So,
11:06he armed the bomb
11:07in flight
11:07to minimize the risks
11:08during take-off.
11:10His assistant,
11:112nd Lieutenant
11:12Morris Jepson,
11:13removed the safety devices
11:15only 30 minutes
11:16before reaching
11:16the target area.
11:18Three other B-29s
11:19flew about an hour ahead,
11:21acting as weather scouts.
11:22Enola Gay
11:24reached Hiroshima
11:25with clear skies
11:26at 8.09,
11:27local time,
11:28at which point
11:29Tibbetts initiated
11:30the bomb run
11:30and handed control
11:32to his bombardier,
11:33Major Thomas Ferabee.
11:36At 8.15,
11:37Little Boy,
11:38which contained
11:38approximately
11:3964 kilograms
11:40or 140 pounds
11:42of uranium-235,
11:44was released.
11:45It took 44.4 seconds
11:52to fall from the aircraft,
11:54flying at about
11:559.4 kilometers
11:56until it detonated
11:58approximately
11:58580 meters
12:00above the city.
12:09At the moment of detonation,
12:11the temperature
12:12within the fireball
12:13itself reached
12:13to over 1 million
12:14degrees Celsius,
12:16matching temperatures
12:17found at the sun's core.
12:19This intense heat
12:20is generated
12:21by the nuclear fission
12:22reaction within the bomb.
12:24The fireball
12:25expanded rapidly,
12:26reaching a diameter
12:27of 280 meters
12:29or 306 yards
12:30within just one second.
12:32The heat rays
12:33emitted from the fireball
12:34raised ground temperatures
12:35near the hypocenter
12:36to about
12:374,000 degrees Celsius,
12:39which is far beyond
12:40the melting point
12:41of many materials.
12:43This immense heat
12:44caused immediate
12:45devastating fires
12:46and contributed
12:47to the widespread
12:47destruction in the city.
12:49The radius
12:50of total destruction
12:51was about
12:521.6 kilometers,
12:54with fires spreading
12:55over 11 square kilometers.
12:59Affected by crosswinds,
13:00the bomb veered
13:01off its intended target,
13:03the Aoy Bridge,
13:05missing by about
13:05240 meters
13:06and detonated
13:08directly above
13:08the Shimmer
13:09surgical clinic instead.
13:11It unleashed energy
13:12equivalent to
13:1315 kilotons of TNT,
13:15or the simultaneous
13:16detonation of
13:1733 million pounds
13:18of TNT.
13:20Enola Gay
13:21stayed over the target
13:22area for two minutes
13:23and was 16 kilometers
13:25or 10 miles away
13:26when the bomb detonated,
13:28and about 18.5 kilometers away
13:30before it felt
13:31the shock waves
13:32from the blast.
13:34Only Tibbetts,
13:35Parsons, and Ferribee
13:36were aware
13:36of the weapon's
13:37true nature.
13:38The rest of the crew
13:39were simply warned
13:39to expect a blinding flash
13:41and were provided
13:42with black goggles.
13:44It was hard to believe
13:45what we saw,
13:46Tibbetts later told reporters.
13:49Parsons described the event
13:50as
13:50tremendous and awe-inspiring.
13:53The men aboard with me
13:54gasped,
13:55my God.
13:57People on the ground
13:58reported a peeker,
13:59a brilliant flash of light,
14:01followed by a don,
14:02a loud, booming sound.
14:06As survivors
14:07emerged from the ruins,
14:09they gradually realized
14:10that the entire city
14:11had been struck
14:11simultaneously.
14:13The Tokyo control operator
14:15of the Japan Broadcasting Corporation
14:17noticed that the Hiroshima station
14:19had gone off the air.
14:21He tried to re-establish
14:22the connection
14:23through another telephone line,
14:25but that also failed.
14:27About 20 minutes later,
14:29the Tokyo Railroad Telegraph Center
14:31realized that the main line telegraph,
14:32had stopped working
14:34just north of Hiroshima.
14:36Unofficial reports
14:37of a massive explosion
14:38came from small railway stations
14:41within 16 kilometers
14:42or 10 miles of the city.
14:44All these reports
14:45were transmitted
14:46to the headquarters
14:47of the Imperial Japanese Army
14:49General Staff.
14:51Military bases repeatedly
14:52tried to contact
14:53the Army Control Station
14:54in Hiroshima,
14:55but were met
14:56with complete silence.
14:58The General Staff
14:59were puzzled by this
15:00as they knew
15:00that no large enemy raid
15:02had occurred
15:02and that no sizable store
15:04of explosives
15:05was in Hiroshima
15:06at that time.
15:07A young officer
15:09was instructed
15:09to fly immediately
15:10to Hiroshima
15:11to land,
15:12survey the damage
15:13and return to Tokyo
15:14with reliable information
15:15for the staff.
15:17It was felt
15:18that nothing serious
15:19had taken place
15:20and that the explosion
15:21and that the explosion
15:22was just a rumor.
15:24The officer went
15:25to the airport
15:25and flew southwest.
15:28After flying
15:28for about three hours,
15:29while still nearly
15:30160 kilometers
15:31from Hiroshima,
15:33he and his pilot
15:34saw a great cloud
15:35of smoke
15:35from the firestorm
15:36created by the bomb.
15:38After circling the city
15:39to survey the extent
15:40of the destruction,
15:42they landed
15:42south of Hiroshima.
15:44Tokyo only learned
15:45that the city
15:46had been destroyed
15:46by a new type of bomb
15:48from President Truman's
15:49announcement of the strike,
15:5116 hours later.
15:53After the Hiroshima bombing,
15:55Truman issued a statement
15:56announcing the use
15:57of the new weapon.
15:58He stated,
15:59We may be grateful
16:00to Providence
16:01that the German
16:01atomic bomb project
16:02had failed
16:03and that the United States
16:05and its allies
16:05had spent $2 billion
16:07on the greatest
16:08scientific gamble
16:09in history
16:10and won.
16:12Truman then warned Japan,
16:14If they do not now
16:15accept our terms,
16:17they may expect
16:17a rain of
16:18ruin from the air,
16:19the like of which
16:20has never been seen
16:21on this earth.
16:24The atomic bombing
16:25of Hiroshima
16:26resulted in approximately
16:27126,000 deaths,
16:30of which 20,000
16:31were soldiers
16:31and 106,000
16:33were civilians.
16:36Admiral Toyoda,
16:37the chief of the
16:38naval general staff,
16:39speculated that
16:40no more than one
16:41or two additional bombs
16:42could be readied,
16:43so they decided
16:44to endure
16:45the remaining attacks,
16:46acknowledging
16:47there would be
16:48more destruction,
16:50but the war
16:50would go on.
16:53This communication
16:54was intercepted
16:55by American magic
16:56codebreakers.
16:57Since there was
16:58no indication
16:59of Japan surrendering,
17:01they decided
17:01to move forward
17:02with the plan
17:03to drop another
17:03atomic bomb.
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