reading questions--After the Fact, Decision to Drop the Bomb
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Mary Connaghan-Butler
May 7, 2013, 11:53:54 AM5/7/13
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For the Discussion on Friday, be prepared to discuss/debate with the class the reasons & justifications for using the Atom Bomb against japan
1. In what city (army base) and state was the first atomic bomb (device) test detonated on July 16th, 1945?
2. Which president decided to use the atomic bombs against the Japanese in 1945?
3. What two cities were hit with atomic bombs and on dates did each occur specifically?
4. What was the code name for the efforts to develop the atomic bombs?
5. What was the difference between academic and industrial science in terms of how to get funding and how to conduct research prior to WWII?
6. What is the “rational actor” model as applicable to Truman’s decision to drop the bomb according to Davidson and Lytle?
7. Who was put in charge of the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC)?
8. What did Enrico Fermi and the Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory accomplish for the first time in history on a squash court under the Old University of Chicago football stadium?
9. Where did the government various research and planning facilities for this project? What did they do at each?
10. What four progressions of events brought about the development of the atomic bombs can be explained by the rational actor model?
11. What is the problem with the “rational actor” model?
12. What did historian Gar Alperovitz argue was the primary reason for dropping the bomb?
13. To what did the development and the use of the atomic bombs lead after World War II?
14. What three conclusions did the Interim Committee conclude?
15. What did General Douglas MacArthur conclude would be necessary to force Japan to surrender?
16. Which type of bombing was more devastating to Japan, conventional or atomic bombing?
17. What did a group of scientists at the Chicago laboratory, led by Leo Szilard, warn against and urge or recommend?
18. In addition to the military considerations of how to end the war with the minimum number of casualties, what was Truman’s secondary goal that was rapidly become his chief concern, and what was an economic concern related to the spending of $2 billion on the secret Manhattan Project?
19. What is SOP? Describe SOPs.
20. Describe the model of organizational process presented in the reading.
21. Why do SOPs and organizations tend to be conservative in terms of organizing projects, testing and experimenting, and producing products according to the reading?
22. What two incompatible priorities were established by FDR for Vannevar Bush for the development of the atomic bomb?
23. How did the military and General Leslie Groves protect information that was at odds with what scientists typically did that also inhibited the scientific research?
24. How did Oppenheimer ease the problem of compartmentalization that inhibited scientists’ ability to share information to facilitate developing the atomic bomb?
25. From whom were the secrets of the Manhattan Project purposefully kept besides the Axis Powers?
26. Explain how the model of bureaucracies presented in the reading allows for some individuals to have more influence than others?
27. According to historian Barton Bernstein, what were policy makers not trying to do?
28. Why did the decision-makers who counseled use of the bomb outweigh those who advocated various alternatives to its immediate combat use without any warning or demonstration?
29. What was the relationship between Secretary of State James Byrnes and President Harry Truman? How did he influence Truman at Potdam?
30. Who blocked Leo Szilard’s attempts to notify Truman about the reservations of scientists concerning the combat use of the atomic bomb?
31. What was the Franck Committee, what did it recommend, and how was its recommendation blocked?
32. What was the responsibility of the Targeting Committee?
33. What city was taken off of the list of potential targets, and why was it taken off of the list?
34. What four Japanese cities ended up on the target list? Why did they end up going with Hiroshima & Nakasaki?
35. What was the event that was even more convincing for the Japanese military and government than the two atomic bombs and surely influenced the Japanese to surrender as much as Hiroshima and Nagasaki? When did it occur?
1. In what city (army base) and state was the first atomic bomb (device) test detonated on July 16th, 1945?
2. Which president decided to use the atomic bombs against the Japanese in 1945?
3. What two cities were hit with atomic bombs and on dates did each occur specifically?
4. What was the code name for the efforts to develop the atomic bombs?
5. What was the difference between academic and industrial science in terms of how to get funding and how to conduct research prior to WWII?
6. What is the “rational actor” model as applicable to Truman’s decision to drop the bomb according to Davidson and Lytle?
7. Who was put in charge of the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC)?
8. What did Enrico Fermi and the Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory accomplish for the first time in history on a squash court under the Old University of Chicago football stadium?
9. Where did the government various research and planning facilities for this project? What did they do at each?
10. What four progressions of events brought about the development of the atomic bombs can be explained by the rational actor model?
11. What is the problem with the “rational actor” model?
12. What did historian Gar Alperovitz argue was the primary reason for dropping the bomb?
13. To what did the development and the use of the atomic bombs lead after World War II?
14. What three conclusions did the Interim Committee conclude?
15. What did General Douglas MacArthur conclude would be necessary to force Japan to surrender?
16. Which type of bombing was more devastating to Japan, conventional or atomic bombing?
17. What did a group of scientists at the Chicago laboratory, led by Leo Szilard, warn against and urge or recommend?
18. In addition to the military considerations of how to end the war with the minimum number of casualties, what was Truman’s secondary goal that was rapidly become his chief concern, and what was an economic concern related to the spending of $2 billion on the secret Manhattan Project?
19. What is SOP? Describe SOPs.
20. Describe the model of organizational process presented in the reading.
21. Why do SOPs and organizations tend to be conservative in terms of organizing projects, testing and experimenting, and producing products according to the reading?
22. What two incompatible priorities were established by FDR for Vannevar Bush for the development of the atomic bomb?
23. How did the military and General Leslie Groves protect information that was at odds with what scientists typically did that also inhibited the scientific research?
24. How did Oppenheimer ease the problem of compartmentalization that inhibited scientists’ ability to share information to facilitate developing the atomic bomb?
25. From whom were the secrets of the Manhattan Project purposefully kept besides the Axis Powers?
26. Explain how the model of bureaucracies presented in the reading allows for some individuals to have more influence than others?
27. According to historian Barton Bernstein, what were policy makers not trying to do?
28. Why did the decision-makers who counseled use of the bomb outweigh those who advocated various alternatives to its immediate combat use without any warning or demonstration?
29. What was the relationship between Secretary of State James Byrnes and President Harry Truman? How did he influence Truman at Potdam?
30. Who blocked Leo Szilard’s attempts to notify Truman about the reservations of scientists concerning the combat use of the atomic bomb?
31. What was the Franck Committee, what did it recommend, and how was its recommendation blocked?
32. What was the responsibility of the Targeting Committee?
33. What city was taken off of the list of potential targets, and why was it taken off of the list?
34. What four Japanese cities ended up on the target list? Why did they end up going with Hiroshima & Nakasaki?
35. What was the event that was even more convincing for the Japanese military and government than the two atomic bombs and surely influenced the Japanese to surrender as much as Hiroshima and Nagasaki? When did it occur?
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