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Earlier atmoic weapons development and deployment

Discussion in 'What If - Other' started by Hummel, Jan 28, 2011.

  1. Hummel

    Hummel Member

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    Economist Alexander Sachs delivered a letter to President Roosevelt in 1939. This letter, the Einstein-Szilard letter outlined to the President that an atomic chain reaction might be possible, in fact probable, and that such a chain reaction would be able to be developed into a new series of bombs. These bombs, the letter maintained, would be delivered by boat and detonated in an enemy port. The resulting destruction would destroy the port as well as "surrounding territory" of an unspecified acreage or square mileage.
    President Roosevelt's response was basically to get a committee started on Uranium. Skipping quite a lot of time, in 1942, the President ordered Colonel Leslie Groves to establish the Manhattan Engineering District and thus began the work that culminated in the detonation of the first atomic device ("Trinity" officially, "the gadget" unofficially) near Alamogordo, New Mexico. This led to the rapid development of two bombs, Little Boy and Fat Man which were eventually used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively.

    My multi-stage question is this: Suppose the Einstein-Szilard letter had been delivered, not to President Roosevelt in 1939, but in 1934. Roosevelt then orders the same committees and the bomb is developed, not in 1942, but in 1937. Supposing we were able to keep these a secret (HAH HAH HAH, I know, but this IS "What if?") . . .
    here it comes . . .

    Do you think the US would have immediately used the bombs on Japan in 1941? I know we didn't have the bases to fly planes to deliver them, but they could certainly be delivered by submarine and remotely detonated. Do you think we would have given some to Churchill to use against the nazis-- the British being the ones with the air force to deliver the bomb/s? If this is the case, and the bombs were to be used against either or both the Japanese and/or the nazis, do you think they could have ended the war early?

    I know there's a lot there, but I think there is a lot open to discussion with this idea. Thanks, and, please please please, no flaming? I have had a couple of really nice threads get shut down because people got personal. Thank you again. Enjoy!
     

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