The Russians Are Coming!!!!

The Alliance Becomes Unbalanced

The Cold War began after World War II, after the Potsdam Conference in August of 1945.  The allies had reached a point in their relationship where they were out of balance. In essence, Winston Churchill of Great Britain, and Harry Truman of the United States wanted European democracies.  Joseph Stalin of Russia wanted to rule Europe.  The relationship of the allies became unbalanced not because of the existence of the Atomic Bomb, but the fact that Truman actually used it.  

The Allies: Winston Churchill, Harry Truman, and Joseph Stalin

Courtesy-Truman Library.org

Joseph Stalin

If The Russians Are Coming, Are We Still Scared??

In the United States of America, one of the major themes of the Cold War was, “the Russians are Coming”.  This theme grew out of genuine fear of a Russian invasion or attack on American soil.  Over time this fear diminished into a subject it was possible to cautiously show a sense of humor about.  Out of this development came a particularly funny movie that was ironically entitled “The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming”.  The plot of this critically acclaimed comedy has a fictitious Russian submarine commander grounding his submarine in a small New England coastal town while sightseeing.  The Russians try to dislodge their vessel but are discovered by the locals, who have various reactions to the Russians invading their town.  After a comedy of errors by the Americans and the Russians, they team up to help the Russians escape capture by the American authorities and head home.  World War III is avoided and both the Americans and Russians discover it is possible to work together and it is not necessary to be enemies. 

Courtesy - soundtrackcollector.com

The Russians Have Landed!!

Today, Russians have come to the United States and become a part of the American melting pot.

A Nightmare Solution Born from Fear

                                                    Courtesy - Time Magazine

 

 Albert Einstein was a scientific genius identified as the Grandfather of the Atomic Bomb.  He discovered the Theory ofRelativity (E=MC2) which was the secret of the Atomic Bomb.  Einstein was a pacifist, passionately against killing, but became concerned that Hitler and the German Nazis would build the bomb and create world annihilation.   

 

Einstein and Szilard

Courtesy - Reformation.org

 

Einstein became persuaded by a physicist (Leo Szilard) to support the cause for America to build the bomb.  They wrote to President Franklin D. Roosevelt explaining the situation and in the hope America would build the Atomic Bomb before Germany and the Nazis did.  President Roosevelt was convinced and authorized the Manhattan Project which was the American project to build the Atomic Bomb.

 

 Images of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki



Courtesy - jenniewrites.wordpress.com

 

 

The Atomic Bomb was dropped in Japan at Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. The results were devastating and many in hindsight questioned if the bombing was necessary. Out of regret for his role in creating the bomb, Einstein spent the rest of his life working to control the use of nuclear weapons. 

 

Courtesy of answers.com

 

J. Robert Oppenheimer
Courtesy- Time Magazine
 

In an interview, J. Robert Oppenheimer, the Science Director of the Manhattan Project expressed regret concerning use of the bomb and quoted a Hindu scripture, “Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds”.  J. Robert Oppenheimer’s picture is the first photo shown in this video – a tribute to tthe victims of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

 

The grandfather (Albert Einstein), and father (J. Robert Oppenheimer) of the Atomic Bomb were both filled with remorse for the devastation created by their creation.  In reflection, was it necessary to create and use the bomb?  What if Hitler and the Nazis would have acquired it before America?  Can anyone imagine what would have been the alternative conclusion to World War II if Hitler had dropped the bomb?  It is a question I am sure haunted all involved to their grave, and continues to be a topic of discussion.

Daniel Ellsberg discusses - If Hitler had Dropped the Bomb

Courtesy - FORA.tv 



 

Our class material has covered films showing response to the effects of nuclear weapons attacks.  There are also fiction and non-fiction films on the traumatic lives of military personnel handling nuclear submarines and weapons.   Though presented as entertainment, these movies visually relay the seriousness of the potential for protection and utter destruction by these vessels and weapons. 

(Courtesy of Scenic Reflections)

 

The film, "K19, The Widowmaker" is based on the true story of a Russian nuclear submarine disabled in American waters with a leaking nuclear reactor.  In real life, this vessel had so many problems it was nicknamed “Hiroshima”.
 

 The film, “Crimson Tide” is fiction, and one of my favorite military films.  This critically acclaimed movie shows the complex checks and balances required to launch a nuclear missile from a U.S. Navy submarine.  In this film the commander and the executive officer disagree over the decision to launch a nuclear missile when the orders transmission is interrupted.  To hesitate launching could show weakness, but to launch by mistake could cause a world war.  The film enactment is tense, and takes on a life of its own.  It shows the danger of a commander brave enough to launch the weapon, but lacking the wisdom to use diplomatic restraint.  Attached are four clips courtesy of YouTube.com that are well worth watching.  They show the crew’s mission, the disagreement of the commander and the executive officer, the complete orders transmission, and the overall dilemma of launching nuclear weapons from a submarine.

 

For the sake of the continued existence of mankind, the use of nuclear weapons must be kept in the hands of wise and calm heads, who understand the burden of launching weapons of mass destruction.  There is nothing wise about playing chicken with a nuclear bomb.

 

^{Launching of the U.S. Nautilus}

A powerful tool of the Cold War was nuclear powered submarines.  These vessels were considered a great technological advancement.  The first U.S. nuclear powered submarine was the USS Nautilus which was launched in 1954. It was soon followed by the USS Seawolf, and USS Skipjack.  Nuclear powered submarines performed many tasks, including moving nuclear missiles which were Atomic Bombs.  It was part of the new military concept of Strategic Air Command (Wills 2011, 42).

Attached is a short video produced by General Electric and the United States Navy explaining atomic energy and atomic powered submarines. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW12KRYRODE

The movement of nuclear missiles became a major concern to America during the Cuban Missiles Crisis in October 1962 when Soviet Union built nuclear missile sites were discovered in Cuba.     

An important topic for discussion that may fly under the radar is the environmental concerns related to decommissioning nuclear powered submarines.  The radioactivewaste disposal must be handled appropriately. 

This is my initial post to establish my blog for the Technology and History class at the University of Baltimore.  I have never blogged before so it should really provide me with some great experience.  I am looking forward to what my classmates will share.

Pam Ranberg