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1-Page Summary of The Making of the Atomic Bomb
Overall Summary
A book by Richard Rhodes, The Making of the Atomic Bomb (1987), explains how scientists developed the atomic bomb in the 1930s and 1940s. These scientists worked on this project from its initial proposal to its deployment as a weapon against Japan in 1945. It describes how the United States provided funding for nuclear weapons research in 1941 after an initial theoretical proposal was made in 1939. This led to successful tests and deployment of these weapons against Hiroshima in 1945.
The book begins with Rhodes’ assertion that the invention of the atomic bomb was a critical evolutionary moment in world history and international relations. He traces the concept of “atom” from ancient Greece to its linguistic origin, then he discusses how nuclear fission was discovered by scientists like Leo Szilard. Originally from Hungary, Szilard studied under Albert Einstein and fled Nazi persecution to Great Britain. Incensed by remarks at a scientific conference, he successfully refuted Ernest Rutherford’s claim that atomic power could never be harnessed as an energy source. Focusing on making nuclear fission net energy producing, he conceived using neutrons to split uranium atoms in a self-sustaining chain reaction; however due to lack of funding, he wasn’t able to implement his blueprint.
The next critical event in the timeline of the atomic bomb was when scientists proved that it could be harnessed for power. Many scientists were frightened by this technology, so they fled central Europe to avoid helping Hitler. Some prominent physicists and Einstein drafted a letter warning Franklin Roosevelt about Germany’s potential threat; however, it is unclear whether he read the letter or took any action based on its contents.
Meanwhile, the Germans were making progress on a bomb. They lost out because of two primary factors: One was that they had an incorrect technical specification for the bomb and didn’t fix it. The other factor was that German scientists felt that if a dictator got their hands on a nuclear weapon, it would cause irreparable harm to the world. Japan also wanted to create a nuclear weapon but projected that its invention was 10 years away due to limited resources.
Finally, in 1941, the United States began to take the creation of an atomic bomb seriously. Roosevelt contacted Winston Churchill and appealed for them to work together on developing this weapon. They also shared information with each other so that both countries benefited from a head start in creating this powerful new technology. Soon after, Enrico Fermi created a sustainable chain reaction that proved how effective nuclear power could be.
Rhodes continues to elaborate on the political impact of nuclear weapons. He credits the scientists for warning leaders about a nuclear arms race and preventing it by developing atomic weapons first. He also attributes fast development of the bomb to Germany’s perceived threat, which was later found not to be true. Finally, he explains that many scientists were against using the bomb on Japan but felt like they had no choice in order to prevent future atrocities from occurring.
In the conclusion, Rhodes argues that scientists were ultimately responsible for stopping the atomic bomb. In fact, he credits them with inventing it in the first place. Thus, this book is both a historical study and an argument about how science has shaped national policy.
Chapter 1: “Moonshine”
Szilard was a bright young man who won a math prize in high school. World War I interrupted his studies, and he became an officer but contracted the Spanish Flu. He recovered and went to University of Berlin where he studied physics. After graduating with honors, Szilard focused on his research and published papers that helped start the science of information theory.
