The Dropping of the Bomb on Hiroshima

On August 6, 1945, the Japanese city of Hiroshima was evaporated by the first atomic bomb. Two days later, the second city, Nagasaki, was vaporized by another atomic explosion. The following month, September 2, 1945, the Japanese Empire surrendered. The man who was responsible for the core mechanics of the weapon was a Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer. What most people don’t realize is the anguish of making such a destructive weapon haunted him for the rest of his days.
Eight years and three months later, Oppenheimer was suspected of being a Communist. The government and most of his colleagues mistrusted him. He refused to let go of his clearance which the government wanted to revoke. Instead, he continued his work until they brought him before a court. People still debate whether it was a fair trial, or a result of mass-communist paranoia.
When the doctor came to the stand you could see the weight that had encumbered him. He had dark sags under his eyes. Wrinkles plagued his face. He was much too skinny and his white hair had been cut to a close shaved. Most notable, though, was the lack of life behind his eyes. Anyone could see that he was tired of politics and weapons.

In the documentary, The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the film shows the recordings of Mr. Oppenheimer’s trial with a small amount of commentary. It is a near exact video transcript.
There is a moment in the documentary, in particular, that speaks volumes about Oppenheimer’s view. He is asked what his reaction was when he witnessed the success of the bomb. The viewer can see his mind wander back to that moment as he says: “We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed. A few people cried. Most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu...

... middle of paper ...

...killed by its awesome power. He was just like Vishnu. He had become death and the destroyer of worlds.
This is why he comprehends why no one else spoke. They all felt the same. Every one of them had just conjured up destruction beyond anyone else’s control. It was something no one man could hope to wield single handedly. At the very least, wield it responsibly.
The doctor would have to live out the rest of his life like the titan Atlas from Greek mythology. He held the world on his shoulders knowing that at any second it could crumble. It could melt between his fingers like sand. The research he had used to save lives now could end all of them.
At the end of his answer, you have to ask yourself. What would your reaction be? Would you laugh at the new power or would weep for the souls of the lost? The only assumption that can be made is that most would be silent.