Timesuck with Dan Cummins - 164 - The Manhattan Project

Starting point is 00:00:00 You check your hazmat suit three times to make sure it's airtight. One rip could be lethal. You've just taken two of the potassium iodide tablets you save for exactly this moment. Your face is clean, shaving for the first time in half a decade. Your CM7M gas mask won't probably seal over a beard. Your gas filtration canisters locked in good to go with a shelf life of another 10, 15 years. You don't really want to leave, but you can't stay underground any longer. You're dangerously close to running out of generator fuel.

Starting point is 00:00:28 You have no more than a week's worth of vacuum sealed dehydrated rations. For the last five years, you've lived over 30 feet underground, spending your days in an abandoned missile silo converted into a doomsday bunker, decade ago. Your family thought you were insane to buy it, living alone with no kids. You could have easily retired 15 or 20 years early. About two homes outright with the money it took to build it.

Starting point is 00:00:49 But you knew in your bones that the war was coming, a bad one. One unlike the world that ever seen, you told your only brother that he and his family could stay with you. The five of you could have lived for over two years, easy in this place, but they never survived the initial blasts. You told him to get out of downtown, get away from the city. Don't move anywhere near a military base, but he didn't listen. Now he and his family are dead. There's a good chance everyone you ever knew is dead. Maybe even everyone you'd ever seen is now dead.

Starting point is 00:01:19 There's a distinct possibility that you are literally the last person on earth. There were no more satellite transmissions 48 hours after the bombs hit. How many warheads was it? At least 70 obliterated the US alone before radio transmissions went down roughly 72 hours after the first blast, over 300 had landed worldwide. The initial blast took out entire cities, lethal radiation of this serrated every living thing for miles and miles around the blast zone. And then who knows what the fuck happened next? They did it. They actually did it. World War III.

Starting point is 00:01:50 Armageddon. You made it to your doom as a bunker within an hour of the first blast alone. You shut the hermetically sealed steel door before the radiation made it to the Montana Canadian border. And that was the last time you saw the outside world. A family made it to the door the next day, but the radiation was too strong. By that point, let them risk letting them inside. They didn't know it, but they were already dead.

Starting point is 00:02:10 And now you're leaving the bunker, walking out into a world of death. For as far as you can see, there's literally nothing alive, not a single plant or animal or blade of grass. You think, am I dreaming? That's nothing to look like Earth. Looks like some other bear and horrible planet.

Starting point is 00:02:23 Looks like you're stepping out of a spaceship and walking out into the surface of Mars the MSV level and your radiation You know reader reads up just over 6,000 fuck without your suit You'd likely be dead within a few weeks from radiation poisoning and it would be a horrible final few weeks Your bones would disintegrate inside your body sores on your skin would open and bleed your hair would fall out in clumps Your teeth would go soft and fall from your jaw, your internal organs would basically turn to mush, diarrhea, vomiting, internal bleeding. Did you survive underground for years just to die alone and horribly now? You walk to a sealed above ground garage, hoping the ATV you bought for justice moment will

Starting point is 00:02:59 actually start. You know, you'll drive up north into Canada away from any kind of population base seeking lower radiation levels, but will you find those levels? Will you find anyone else alive? Will you find a safe haven where you can take off your suit without dying? Doesn't seem likely. It seems as if you've died already and gone to hell. Does this sound familiar?

Starting point is 00:03:18 I got like the basic setup. I'm kind of post apocalyptic. You know, this tobian video game graphic novel, movie TV show. As a little kid in the mid and late 80s, when the Cold War was still very much live, I remember worrying about atomic bombs launching from behind the iron curtain, flying across both the Atlantic and the Pacific and just devastating the United States. I read Stephen King's The Stand when I was probably 10 and that book, it's a biological weapon that takes everyone out. But the dystopian concept is similar.

Starting point is 00:03:47 Most of humanity is dead. I think a lot of people have imagined some sort of post apocalyptic scenario like that. Prior to the end of World War II before the bombs dropped and Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I imagine almost no one thought about that scenario. Certainly not an apocalypse brought on by atomic weapons. Prior to the war, it wasn't possible for us to destroy our entire planet with bombs. Now, that is the reality we live in. How scary is that? One wrong sequence of military actions in human life is over. This new terrifying

Starting point is 00:04:19 reality started with today's subject with the Manhattan Project. Jay Robert Oppenheimer, the scientist who will be put in charge of the Manhattan Project, the scientist tasked with designing the first atomic bomb, the man who had the title of coordinator of rapid rupture, often known as the father of the atomic bomb, said this after watching his destructive creation explode for the first time in the desert of New Mexico. We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remember the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.

Starting point is 00:05:03 I suppose we all thought that one way or another. Few events in history have changed the world more than the topic of this week's Suck, the Manhattan Project. Time to go atomic on today's, don't push that red button for fuck's sake, edition of Time Suck. This is Michael McDonald and you're listening to Time Suck, you're listening to Time Suck.

Starting point is 00:05:27 How be Monday Time Suckers? I hope November is treating you right. I'm Dan Cummins, the master sucker, Bojangles ball polisher, triple lamb's vocal coach, Nimrod's oracle, Lucifinas, you know, pin up photographer, you're listening to Time Suck. Back from Columbus, Ohio, in the suck dungeon with the Time Suck crew, Harmony, Lindsay, Zack, Reverend Doctor, H.C. Paisley, you know, that stands for.

Starting point is 00:05:58 Gangs all here. Had a blast in Columbus, both Saturday shows completely sold out in the big old room, and the other two shows weren't far off and most importantly, they were all fun. So much fun. Thanks for the last. Thanks for some very nice words after the shows from many of you and a few gifts as well, a few very cool gifts talking about that on a secret suck.

Starting point is 00:06:15 There's this week off to comedy works in Denver, Colorado this week in November 7 to the ninth. Few of the shows already sold out ticket selling fast for the rest. Not many tickets left for the live Ant Hill kids suck on the 10th Sunday as well. Dr. Grins and Grand Rapids, Michigan, November 21st, the 23rd, another live time suck on the 23rd to come a comedy club. That's the last, wait, to come a comedy club. I, man, I can't remember this moment.

Starting point is 00:06:38 If I do a live suck to come, you have to look at the, that's, yeah, I am. I'm doing the last live time suck of the year on the, on the, in, in Tacoma, I believe, I believe 50 to the seventh there. And then last standup shows the year at the Spokane Comedy Club, December 26th or 20th. You can find it all at Dancomas.tv. And I'll announce two or dates for 2020 soon. Got all almost all of them locked down, uh, going to get a work in a few cities I missed in 2019. Uh, the popular Salvita Lucifina shirt back in stock in the time stock store, Hail Lucifina,

Starting point is 00:07:09 and Latin, now it's back on a women's cut. Also a few colors in the man's cut, a few different colors, and in a win-breaker option. It's very cool. I'm excited to get mine. It's got some additional access created, kind of a culty design features, and also given to a new charity

Starting point is 00:07:25 this month. More money this time, but went up a little bit more from last month, given $3,500 this month in honor of Veterans Day to the Patriot Guard writers on behalf of the Spaceless or Patriot on Contributions. The Patriot Guard writers, they're 100% volunteer 501c3 that started back in 2005 in response to former suck subject to Westboro Baptist Church. Their mission is to ensure dignity and respect memorial services honoring fallen military heroes, first responders, and honorably discharge veterans. So cool.

Starting point is 00:07:58 Their main mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family. Each mission they undertake has two basic objectives. Number one, show sincere respect for fallen heroes, their families and their communities. Number two, shield the morning family and their friends from interruptions created by fuckface protesters, you know, like the WBC. You can ride with them in the funeral procession or you can just help stand guard at the funeral itself.

Starting point is 00:08:23 It's all legal all up and up, you know, they don't they don't do any illegal confrontations. They just protect these people's families. You can be active military veteran. You can be someone who's never served to learn more, donate more yourself. You can go to WWE. Well, why do I say that anymore? It's like a leftover from 10 years ago, my brain. You can go to patreonguard.org.

Starting point is 00:08:39 You don't need to put the fucking debuts in there anymore. Thanks to all the military meat sacks, by the way, also for your service. And thanks to the first responders as well for your brave service. Link to all that in the episode description. Make it really easy. And that's it. I tried to clock through the announcements as fast as I could today. Get right into it.

Starting point is 00:08:56 Gotta get into a topic. I know a lot of you are expecting me to turn into a pronunciation disaster, but I've prepared. Just like some people prepare for the apocalypse, I've prepared for this apocalyptic time suck. Instead of, you know, having to say the word that is the beta-mind exists, and so I can push a button. New clear.

Starting point is 00:09:15 Yeah, yeah, little loophole. Yeah, yeah, yeah, can't fuck it up today. New clear. Mm-hmm. Using technology to my advantage. Yep, talking about nuclear. Weapons on today's nuclear show. Mm-hmm.

Starting point is 00:09:31 Now sometimes, me all push this button to remind you of how I used to say it. Because of your mini gears as a nuclear technician, we're putting you on a nuclear sub. Nuclear. It's for now, nuclear. Oh, whatever. Nuclear. Thanks, whatever. New Killer.

Starting point is 00:09:45 Thanks, Homer. Let's get to it. [♪ OUTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ Excited to keep pushing that button today. Excited to learn about a real conspiracy. One must meet on it. The Manhattan Project is perhaps the most successful and best document in conspiracy of all time.

Starting point is 00:10:01 The Manhattan Project was a code name for an American-led, multinational effort to develop a functional atomic weapon during World War II. And as you know, it was very successful. Although I do feel strange calling a weapon, that killed upwards of, you know, a hundred thousand people, successful, but yes, but it's very successful. The US government collected the best chemist, physicists,

Starting point is 00:10:22 and engineers that could find, tasked them with the impossible, taking the universe's smallest particle, dividing it in half. From that vision, a previously unimaginable amount of energy could theoretically be harnessed for a variety of uses, including bombs that could kill the world. Why was the Manhattan Project started?

Starting point is 00:10:38 Well, it was launched in response to the fear that Nazi scientists, a real fear, based in reality, were working on a weapon, you know, that could use... Nuclear. Technology since 1930s, and the Adolf Hitler, a man who was obsessed with remaking the world in his horrific image, the image of the Nazi party's sick ideology, you know, that he was prepared to use it, and the US was right again, yet to have those fears. Hitler did have scientists

Starting point is 00:11:01 dedicated to building a... Nuclear weapon. Mm-hmm. Luckily for the rest of the world, it wasn't given the same priority in Germany. It was abandoned, you know, a few years into the war, and they never ended up, you know, getting the chance to drop the bombs first. Thank God. I mean, can you imagine that world? Where Hitler drops the first atomic bombs?

Starting point is 00:11:18 Drops maybe one on London, another one on Manchester, maybe one on Dublin, drops one on Moscow, another one on St. Petersburg, is able to push into Russia in the winter. How would have that have changed things? I guess with that show with others, that show on Amazon, it's all about that. The argument of whether or not the Manhattan Project was ethical, including the culmination

Starting point is 00:11:37 of its actions at the end of the war, is something I'll discuss after the timeline, gotta get through a lot of development info first. Understand that the project more fully before making what might be a kind of polarizing argument. Before discussing the argument of when it's a good decision to go, if it's ever good, we'll first take a close look at who most of the major players are, who paved the road to making it possible to obliterate our planet. We'll also look at all the good. Nuclear. Technology, you know, you know, has done for modern men.

Starting point is 00:12:07 Check out the differences between. Nuclear. Weapons and even explain a touch of the science of, you know, what the hell a nuclear explosion is. At least as best I can. US went heavy on nukes. 1942 to 1946, $2 billion was spent on the Manhattan Project, named for the Manhattan District

Starting point is 00:12:25 where the project's initial planning took place. That price tag would be about 30 billion in today's money. Some estimates illustrate that half a million people ended up being part of this project in one way or another. And that might not seem like a lot of money. When you think about how much the US spends on military now, over 600 billion in the 2018 fiscal year. However, current annual military spending accounts for less than 5% of our GDP.

Starting point is 00:12:50 The total monetary value of all, you know, final goods and services produced in the market. In 1945, over 40% of America's GDP was being spent on military efforts. The US was spending every dollar it had and a lot of dollars it didn't. You know, selling tons of war bonds to cover the cost of war, despite being stretched very thin, still believed in the possibility of nuclear weapons. And now, if the dump billions into this one project out of many, one that if it didn't work, in time would take billions away from other weapon programs that military leaders knew worked, tank soldiers, additional military aircraft, ships, artillery, et cetera,

Starting point is 00:13:26 and produce absolutely nothing. It was, you know, that binary game of either it works, and it's exactly, you know, what we needed to stop the war or it doesn't work, and it gives us absolutely nothing. To house all the signs that would be need, they need to be science to make all this possible. Three giant facilities, and sorry,

Starting point is 00:13:43 for my little positive day, I got a head And sorry if I, a little positive day, I got a head cold, so I'm all medded up, but I cannot stop my sinuses from doing what they're doing with whatever little virus I got. Yeah, three giant facilities, all three basically brand new secret cities would need to be developed to bring the impossible to reality before the fucking Nazis did that.

Starting point is 00:14:03 Facility was created about 25 miles west of Knoxville Oak Ridge, Tennessee. That's now a city of 30,000 people. It did not exist before the Manhattan Project. It was a city built for the Manhattan Project. Second facility was built just a few hours from the Suck Dungeon. The Hanford facility just outside of Richland, Washington, Richland along with Kennewick and Pasco being part of the tri cities. Home to the B reactor,

Starting point is 00:14:25 the first full scale, plutonium production reactor in the world, the site covers an area half the size of the state of Rhode Island, 586 square miles. And I think it was built there because nobody wanted those acres because it's a shithole. I know I have fans near the tri cities, I'm sure you guys are great, but oh fuck, why? Why do you live there? You live so close to so many really beautiful parts of the country. You're a couple hours drive from Mount Hood,

Starting point is 00:14:49 Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier, the Cascades, the Oregon coasts, and you live somewhere that is no more scenic than the northern Nevada desert. That's why they call it the dry shitties. The dry shitties, I've never heard that nickname for dry cities, the dry shitties. Yeah, I believe it. Yeah, and to be fair fair when I say this stuff,

Starting point is 00:15:06 I still like deserts. Apparently some people love them. Some people want to be lizards. And living amongst the sagebrush and, you know, just nothing. Teach their own, I guess. For me, give me some mounds, some trees, or warm sunny weather near a beautiful beach or a fucking, count me out.

Starting point is 00:15:22 Anyways, the third in the really main facility, there would be the center of this project was built in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Additional work would be done elsewhere around the country, like Chicago, Illinois, where the world's first sustained. Nuclear. Reaction took place in Dayton, Ohio, where the Pallonium Trigger for the bomb was designed.

Starting point is 00:15:37 And there was a ton of other little labs and little bureaucratic centers sprinkled around the country. We talk about how ridiculous it was to play around with nuclear reactions in the heavily populated Chicago area back in suck 79 Chernobyl, if you wanna hear more about that specific little experiment. Machinery was also created the Massachusetts Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT

Starting point is 00:16:02 on the East Coast and at the California Institute of Technology, Caltech on the West. Incredibly, the US government was really good at keeping this gigantic project a secret. And that is why conspiracy theorists love to point to the Manhattan Project to this day. You know, when the bombs were dropped in 1945, the public and the access powers, they were shocked. How did the US government keep such a massive project secret? I mean, a massive project.

Starting point is 00:16:29 Employed a lot of people with huge, you know, you know, big, these three big facilities, plus all these other little labs. Well, for starters, it's pretty incredible how they did it. For starters, only men were allowed to work on the project and their families were given the cover story that they'd been drafted and sent overseas. That's pretty smart. No one working on the project and their families were given the cover story that they'd been drafted and sent overseas. That's pretty smart.

Starting point is 00:16:46 No one working on the project was allowed to go home at all until the war was over. Also too strong the encouraged secrecy recently leaked CIA documents revealed that death throw inmates were dressed up. This is pretty intense. Dressed up as if they were Manhattan project workers and instead of being given a lethal injection or put in the electric chair, they were brought out in front of like these giant orientation groups when the project started, when the three bases had just been, you know, completed, and the scientists and other workers, you know, gathered around,

Starting point is 00:17:11 told these men had been caught leaking classified information, leaking secret information about the project, and then they were executed by firing squad for treason in front of the other men. That will make you think twice about talking. Oh, my heck! Four years into the project in 1943, when it became more important than ever to maintain secrecy, because leaking the scientific and technological discoveries

Starting point is 00:17:32 they'd made up until that point would be devastating, actor Humphrey Bogart at the height of his fame. Put on the greatest acting job of his career to help keep the man patent project a secret. This is a role he would never be given credit for, never be recognized for in life. He flew to each of the three main facilities, played out the same death scene, super dramatic.

Starting point is 00:17:52 Military police dragged him out in front of assembled workers at each plant. The workers were told that he'd gotten a hold of some sensitive Manhattan Project info, possibly from someone inside that plant. He refused to give up the workers name. He was called a Nazi sympathizer. The Pentagon needed to make an example of him, not even a huge star was exempt from being punished and punished swiftly for being a traitor. He was fake executed

Starting point is 00:18:14 by the base commander at each location, seemingly shot in the head with a pistol while on his knees begging for his life. It said that at Hanford, you know, the dry shitties, the tri cities, he ad lived right before he was fake shot saying, he has wished, and I would have kept my mouth shut, kid. And then just bam. And then the commander told the rest of the workers, if I don't have a problem put down the greatest actor this nation's ever seen. And frankly, one of my heroes, how much of a problem do you really think I'd have killing one of you worthless fucks? You talk about this project to anyone. You talk about this project to your fucking son. I'll kill you and your entire fucking family.

Starting point is 00:18:48 I'll eat your children. Hey, I'll save them. Does anyone still believe that? Does anyone still believe that, you know, Humphrey Bogart the fucking did any of that? Anywhere at all. Please at least one person. No, that was all nonsense.

Starting point is 00:19:00 That was a, but God I hope someone was like, Jesus Christ. I can think, sorry, can't be even wrong. Humphrey Bogart was part of, no. Here's hope someone was like, Jesus Christ. I can think, sorry, kill him even for a, Humphrey Bogart was part of, no. Here's how to get in secret for real. Lot of good planning, lot of good planning. Each of the three base locations were chosen, apart because they're geographic isolation.

Starting point is 00:19:15 Also, each location heavily guarded. One had to pass multiple security checkpoints to get into each base. Everyone who worked on the project in any way, sorry. I'm using myself with that if no one else. I just keep thinking about Humphrey Bogart, multiple security checkpoints to get into each base. Everyone who worked on the project in any way, sorry. That I'm used myself with that if no one else. I just keep thinking about Humphrey Bogart, just like a dramatic that would be,

Starting point is 00:19:30 if you saw that for real. Everyone who worked on the project had to pass rigorous FBI background checks you know, they'd take weeks to complete, they'd be like call, you know, family, friends, previous employers, you know, do lots of digging into their backgrounds. So there was that,

Starting point is 00:19:43 and there was constant reminders posted all around the bases regarding loose talk, losing the war, reminding everyone of the penalties of treason. You know, they did try to like make that, you know, very abundantly clear. You're gonna get a lot of trouble if you talk. It's gonna help us, you know, lose the war. And then people weren't told exactly why they were there, either like construction crews, weren't told what they were building these facilities, cleaning crews, weren't told you know told what they were building to these facilities, cleaning crews weren't told what they were cleaning, you know, different, uh,

Starting point is 00:20:09 nuclear components were built in different places. And those places didn't talk to one another. They weren't, they weren't, they didn't know who else was even working on stuff. It was all compartmentalized. Very, very, very few people knew that the end goal of all these little moving parts was to build atomic bombs. Only one man, only literally one guy knew what the fuck was of all these little moving parts was to build atomic bombs. Only one man, literally one guy knew what the fuck was going on with the project in its

Starting point is 00:20:30 entirety. Like, knew everything about it. That was General Leslie R. Groves, the one man who oversawed all, Groves created separate organizations to carry out intelligence, counterintelligence, surveillance programs, domestically, and overseas. These all operated outside of regular military channels, kept separate records, reported directly to him and only to him. Congressional leaders agreed to secret budget processes with no legislative oversight. The White House knew what the overall mission goal was, but they weren't privy to any of the details. Pretty genius.

Starting point is 00:21:02 Joseph Stalin and his vast network of Soviet spies, they did figure it out. They figured out what Uncle Sam was out to before the bomb was dropped, but luckily that was when Russia was on the same team, at least, at least for the war effort. You know, better than find out than the Germans. Man, fucking Russia and their spies, they had such a vast network of spies. Learned about that back in sub one 38, good old KGB and all of the communist russia's other secret police and spy organizations, a lot of acronyms, a lot of different acronyms. Also outside of general Leslie R. Groves and the Russians, some of the topic, Tomic scientists might not have known all the organizational details about the project, but they certainly

Starting point is 00:21:37 knew what they were doing. I mean, they had to know they were the only minds capable of doing it. One of these minds, one of the most important Manhattan Project minds was Leo Salard. Leo Salard was born Leo Spitz on February 11th, 1898 in Budapest, Hungary. He developed an interest in physics at age 13, attended public school prior to being drafted into the

Starting point is 00:21:57 Austro-Hungarian Army in 1917. During World War I, he attended officers training school, never saw active duty due to influenza, eventually left hungry for Berlin in 1919. And how crazy is that, by the way? They never saw active duty during due to the flu. Again, that just kind of speaks to the importance of vaccinations and modern medicine. The flu used to take people out so hard they couldn't fight in a war. You know, if they didn't die. And Berlin, Salard studied engineering as the Institute of Technology.

Starting point is 00:22:25 1921, he enrolled at the University of Berlin to study physics under Max von Laou. Salard earned his PhD in August of 1922, completed his postdoctoral work at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin. During his stay at the Institute, he became close friends with another super nerd, smart guy, one we suck before Albert Einstein genius cousin lover sweet stash owner guy who hated combs and brushes in 1933 so large developed the idea of the nuclear chain reaction you crunch some numbers. He carried the one so many times

Starting point is 00:22:59 He got callus from holding so much chalk ruined a couple of his wives favorite shirts on some chalkboards And he realized that a nuclear weapon could be created to create unthinkable amounts of devastation. And after Hitler took power in 1933, Salard, who was Jewish, he had to fuck out of Germany, moved to England. There he worked as a research physicist at the Clarendon Laboratory,

Starting point is 00:23:24 probably laughing way too hard at nerdy math jokes like, how many mathematicians does it take to change a light bulb? One, she gives it to three physicists thus reducing it to a problem that has already been solved before. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Anyway, after arriving in England, Salard had the brilliant idea of parenting this little atomic bomb idea he had rolling around his big old egghead or patented it. Excuse me, not parenting it. That doesn't make any sense. Not so he can make one. He didn't want to make one of these bombs.

Starting point is 00:23:57 He wanted to keep someone else, like, you know, mostly Hitler, from being able to make it. In 1936, he turned his patent over to the English government to have it classified under British secrecy laws. Not totally sure how that would have helped hide it. It must have wasn't real clear in the research. When I first read about that, I thought he meant that he just wanted to like patent it so no one could like legally rip off his work.

Starting point is 00:24:18 As if Hitler, as if the furor of the Nazi party would get a hold of this formula to make an atomic bomb, but then not use it because you didn't legally have the patent. Nine, nine, we cannot use the patent because we did not own the rights. Ha, ha, ha, I'm so angry. The fear is furious. I don't know who that was.

Starting point is 00:24:40 I don't know what accent that was. Once World War II started, it's a large, let an effort to keep any, you know, kind of a, a, nuclear information for being published in public. These concerns also prompted him with the assistance of two high level theoretical, theoretical physicists, Eugene Vignor, a future Nobel Prize winner, and one of the future fathers of the bomb Edward Teller to contact Albert Einstein. After sharing his fears of Einstein and obtaining his consent, Salar drafted a letter

Starting point is 00:25:06 that Einstein signed. This now famous Einstein letter was subsequently delivered by famed economist and banker Alexander Sacks to President FDR Franklin D. Roosevelt in October of 1939. And this letter outlined the possibility of achieving a nuclear chain reaction and its implications for the development of you know atomic weapons for national defense. It also requested government support to conduct large scale experiments to prove whether or not a sustained nuclear chain reaction was even possible. This letter would change the course of the war and it gave FDR the world's first nuclear

Starting point is 00:25:41 boner. The seed for the Manhattan Project have been planted in his mind. 1940, Salard became an American citizen, moved to New York. He began working at Columbia University where he collaborated with other mega geniuses, like American physicist and Rico Fermi, Walter Zinn, and Humphrey Bogart. Here's looking at you, uranium.

Starting point is 00:26:00 No, not Bogart, Herbert Anderson. He collaborated with Herbert Anderson. At Columbia Salard, I keep wanting to call him Sizzler because the way his name is spelled. It's a SZ. Oh, the old Sizzler. Oh, Sizzler submitted his, you know, breakthrough manuscript titled Evergent Chain Reactions in a System of Composed of Uranium and Carbon in February of 1940. These actions by Sizzler would lead to the creation of the brain power behind the Manhattan Project, the Uranium Committee. President FDR responded to the call for government support of Uranium research

Starting point is 00:26:32 quickly but cautiously. He appointed a brilliant engineer, physicist and administrator named Lyman J. Briggs, director of the National Bureau of Standards to be the head of the advisory committee on Uranium or the the uranium committee, which meant for the first time in October 21st 1939. And then you know, working with uranium is what led to the atomic bombs. The committee started with including both civilian and military representation was to coordinate its activities with Alexander Sacks, dude, who delivered that Einstein letter, look into the current state of research on uranium to recommend an appropriate role for the federal

Starting point is 00:27:04 government. In early 1940, only months after the outbreak of war in Europe, the uranium committee recommended that the government fund limited research on isotopes separation, as well as in reconfirming and Leo Salar's work on fission chain reactions at Columbia University. And FGR was like, yeah, yeah, totally. Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, we got work on isotopes and whatnot. So you got work on the chains and stuff and the reactions and things, you know.

Starting point is 00:27:30 I was gonna bring that up of you guys and no, cause I understand what all that is. Yep, mm-hmm, I do okay with math. What is an isotope? Exactly. Well, it's an atom that has a different number of neutrons. That is a greater or lesser atomic mass than the standard for that particular element.

Starting point is 00:27:47 If you need more info than that, well, good luck. Look it up. I'm not gonna give it to you here. Seriously, I'm gonna tiny bit more, but not much more, because it's complicated. I looked into it and the explanation is full of words that require further definitions,

Starting point is 00:28:00 full of more science words, that require further definitions and those words need more definitions and so on. And I'm not, I don't want to let this suck unravel into, you know, three hours of details that will put 99% of you to sleep. I doubt most of you would enjoy that. So just know that isotopes are low atom guys, low atom guys and low atom guys. These nerds knew were important to making a nuclear bomb,

Starting point is 00:28:26 and they wanted to get their little nerd paws on the right. Nuclear. Isotopes. The uranium committee is concluded that enriched samples, or they concluded that enriched samples of uranium 235 were necessary for further research. And that the isotope might serve as a fuel source

Starting point is 00:28:41 for an explosive device, finding the most effective method of isotope separation was given high priority. The uranium committee would morph into different committees like the S1 executive committee. You'd have members like physicists Arthur Compton, noble laureate who would be chairman, Ernest O'Lorrens also noble laureate, Harold Ray, another Nobel Prize winner, plus other genius level physicists like John C. Slater, John H. Van Fleck, famed chemist, William D. Coolidge,

Starting point is 00:29:09 an army of sorts, a son of the brightest, most giantist brains in America. Now for a tiny bit of science before we get into the people and dates and events, here's what the uranium committee was trying to do with uranium. They were trying to shove it in their own asses. No. The uranium atom, they figured I had to do that right away, but they just like, that's not healthy. That doesn't accomplish

Starting point is 00:29:29 anything. Uranium atom is the heaviest atom present in the natural environment. It's a rare chemical element found in Earth's, in the Earth's crust. And there are two naturally occurring isotopes to choose from with uranium. There's uranium 238. This is the most plentiful. 99% of the Earth's natural occurring uranium is uranium 238. It's found in rock. You can mine uranium ore in a variety of ways, including open pit mining, tunnel mining.

Starting point is 00:29:52 Most of the world's uranium mines are in Canada, Australia, Niger, Kazakhstan, Russia, Namibia. This type of uranium is not the kind you want for like big boom, boom, naughty boom naughty pants face melt or bumps. The other isotope uranium 235, a lot harder to find. Mining companies use Geiger counters, other tools to find this much more radioactive version of this element. And when a neutron is fired at this isotope, at extremely high speeds, uranium 235 becomes

Starting point is 00:30:20 very unstable. It gets a little cray cray. And it becomes a fissionable isotope called uranium 236 that can be used for big boom-boom. Also, the less radioactive uranium 238 while not fissionable can be manipulated into five types of very fissionable man-made plutonium. How?

Starting point is 00:30:37 Fuckin' fine now. Maybe once the scientists stand around a lab, you know, table, full of uranium 238 and just yell at it. Just come on, change already, stupid little uranium of uranium two, three, eight, just yell at it. Just come on, change our range. Stupid little uranium shit. Turn into plutonium. You dummy. Gotta get fissionable.

Starting point is 00:30:50 And then maybe they take off their belts and just kind of whip it. Just, ah, come on. That's staying. You know, kicking around the room after it falls out the table. I don't know. Anyway, this uranium committee nerds, these guys had to figure out how to enrich common uranium into more radioactive derivatives to make things fissionable.

Starting point is 00:31:07 They had to figure out how much of the unstable uranium 236 isotope they would need to reach critical mass, aka boom, boom, time, how fast a neutron had to be fired to trigger the desired reaction. What was the desired reaction? That's called fission. Nuclear fission occurs when the nuclei of certain isotopes of very heavy elements like uranium and plutonium capture neutrons. What's that mean? It means they get them, they get their little hands on them.

Starting point is 00:31:32 And they're just like, fucking come here and just do a little neutron. And God hold you, God capture this shit out of you. No. Nuculine of these isotopes, they're just barely stable. The addition of a small amount of energy to one by an outside neutron will cause it to promptly split into two roughly equal pieces. And that will release a great deal of energy in several new neutrons. Pretty fascinating. If on average one neutron from each fission is captured and successfully produces fission, then a self-sustaining chain reaction is produced. If on average more than one neutron from each fission triggers another

Starting point is 00:32:03 fission, then the number of neutrons, the rate of energy production will increase exponentially with time, basically one little boom causes many other little booms, which make an instant, massive boom boom. And all of that boom comes from splitting teeny tiny little things, far too small to be seen with the naked eye. Like, how wild is that really? That's these tiny, tiny little atomic particles, things you can't see without technology we have now, technology didn't even exist until less than a century ago

Starting point is 00:32:34 could make this huge explosion. Like prior to the invention of the transmission electron microscope in 1933, you couldn't really prove these things even existed. It's all theoretical. Scientists mathematically were confident they existed, but still, and now bombs, unlike anything the world had ever seen before,

Starting point is 00:32:48 like so much more powerful, you know, are developed from this. Makes me wonder, will we ever find anything smaller than the atom? Well, we already have. Thanks to the space, visitors picking this topic, now I know about quarks.

Starting point is 00:33:01 Subatomic particles discovered mathematically in the 1970. Little building blocks of atoms. Is there anything smaller than a quark? Yes, at least theoretically, preons. Preons, little theoretical particles thought to be inside of quarks. And then even smaller than that are nanars, teeny tiny sexual fruits that make up preons.

Starting point is 00:33:22 And of course, I made the nanor part out. But seriously, how crazy is the thing that we could, you know, I mean, really kind of theoretically, I don't know if scientists would agree with this, but this is where my mind goes, it infinitely keep exploring inward, like infinitely keep getting smaller. That's some serious alpha and omega shit,

Starting point is 00:33:37 where the universe is endlessly big. You can't make it to the end of space and the universe is endlessly small. You can't get to the smallest particle. My brain is fucking melting! To have it, I'm having a new clear brain meltdown. What else am I gonna, what else are we gonna find? You know what's gonna be the next game changer? And nobody knew that we're gonna find these little atomic particles that make these huge bombs. What's the next thing?

Starting point is 00:33:57 I love that we don't know what answers we don't have makes life a little bit more magical a more exciting. So last bit of science that leads to of the boom, boom, bad fire. And we'll really get into the people and the dates. Two conditions must be met before fission can be used to create powerful explosions. Condition number one, gotta be cool. They gotta be, they gotta be like nice. They gotta look like nice. Little, no. Number one is, the number of neutrons lost a fission from non-fission producing neutron captures or escape from the fissionable mass must be kept low.

Starting point is 00:34:28 Number two, the speed with which the chain reaction proceeds must be very fast. A fission bomb is a race within itself. To successfully fission most of the material in the bomb before it blows itself apart. The degree to which a bomb design succeeds in this race determines its efficiency. A poorly designed or malfunctioning bomb may fizzle and release only a tiny fraction of its atomic potential energy and a really well designed bomb can unleash hell on earth

Starting point is 00:34:56 to illustrate the true magnitude of a nuclear explosion. Let's take a peak conventional bombs. A conventional explosion can be caused by things like, oh, this is a tricky one, Terny-Trow-Tall-U-E-N, TNT. Other explosive materials like ammonium nitrate, these explosions blast super pressurized air faster than the speed of sound, hence the boom,

Starting point is 00:35:21 and create what is called a blast wind. The explosion can include fire, other elements and can blow pretty substantial craters and mountains and shit. But now let's talk about a nuclear explosion. Way more powerful than other explosives. One kilogram of nuclear vision fuel can release energy 20 million times more than one kilogram of TNT.

Starting point is 00:35:43 20 million times more powerful. Fuck putting craters and mountains. It could potentially obliterate, just eviscerate a fucking mountain. The most powerful non nuclear bomb that I'm aware of is Russia's ATBIP, sometimes called the father of all bombs. It has the destructive power equivalent to roughly 88,000 pounds of TNT. It weighs over 15,000 pounds itself. It's blast radius is 300 meters.

Starting point is 00:36:09 It was first produced in 2007, but the most powerful... Nuclear. ...weapon, oh, on October 30th, 1961, the USSR detonated the largest... Nuclear. ...weapon ever tested and created the biggest man-made explosion in history. The blast, 3,000 times as strong as the bomb using Hiroshima, broke windows 560 miles away from the blast site. How fucking crazy is that? Like if you're good at geography, that's like dropping a bomb where I live in Cordelein

Starting point is 00:36:41 Idaho and having windows be blown out from the bomb in the space needle in downtown Seattle. The flash of light from the blast was visible up to 620 miles away. The Zarbamba, as the test ultimately became known, has had a yield between 50 and 58 megatons twice the size of the second largest nuclear blast. They created a fireball and a blast rate is estimated to be 6.4 square miles large. Thought it would be able to give humans third degree burns within 4,080 square miles of the bomb's epicenter. Bomb this size would completely just fucking erase a quarter of Manhattan, like turn skyscrapers into little

Starting point is 00:37:27 piles of melted rubble. The rest people would, they would just be ash. Their skeletons wouldn't even fucking exist anymore. The rest of the city would also be dead, killed in a blast wave or burned a death. And that was back in 1961, right? That was, that was a long time ago that, you know, this, this particular bomb was developed more on the power of, you know, modern atomic weapons at the end of the suck. Okay, now that we've met the committee, who would start the Manhattan Project and tried

Starting point is 00:37:51 to wrap our minds around, you know, what they were trying to do, how much destruction potential they unleashed upon Earth, let's meet the two men who would lead the Manhattan Project, Army Corps of Engineers officer General Leslie Groves, physicist Robert Oppenheimer. This is September 1942, General Leslie Gro Gross was appointed to head the Manhattan Project with the rank of Temporary Brigidier General. He would be tasked with bringing together all the right people from all the different fields making sure that they got what they needed. General Gross was a high-level army engineer with a brilliant career prior to the Manhattan

Starting point is 00:38:20 Project. He was appointed to lead the Manhattan Project. I guess he was kind of disappointed when he first got to job because he wanted to oversee actual combat overseas. He was born August 17th in 1896 in Albany, New York. And I'm guessing he developed a thick skin early in his childhood because of his name. So it's a Johnny Cashstone, boy name Sue. He was a boy named Leslie. Not as easy as a path through grammar school as a boy named Charlie or a boy named Archie. In 1916, after three years of studying at the University of Washington, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Groves fulfilled his ambition to enter the United States military academy

Starting point is 00:38:52 at West Point. He graduated fourth in his class in 1918. No dummy. I'm pretty sure graduating fourth in your class at West Point is the equivalent to being, you know, the smartest person to ever graduate from like Phoenix Online or something. During the 1920s, Groves, amongst other things, opened the channel at Port Isabel, Texas, supervised Dredging Operations in Galveston Bay, assisted in Vermont during the 1927 New England flood.

Starting point is 00:39:16 In 1931, following an earthquake in Nicaragua, Groves took over responsibility for the capital city of Monogga water supply and he was awarded the Nicaragua presidential medal of merit for keeping the populace hydrated. In August 1941, Groves was given responsibility for overseeing the construction of a little bed and breakfast type place you may have heard of, fucking Pentagon. Five story, five side of structure was 5.1 million square feet, making it at the time the largest office building in the entire world. Almost twice the square footage of the Empire State Building. Ground breaking for

Starting point is 00:39:50 the Pentagon was held on September 11, 1941, 60 years to the day before the 9-11 terrorist attacks, a fact known to many illuminati believer. Because of pressing needs brought on by World War II, people started working in the Pentagon before it was even completed The building was formally completed on January 15th, 1943 after approximately 16 months of construction at a total cost of 83 million well over a billion dollars in today's money and After overseeing the Pentagon's inception grows next project was the Manhattan Project and one of his first choices was to appoint theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. Bob, Bob and Hymn- Bob and Hymn- Bob and Hymn- As director for Lose Alamos Laboratory, responsible for the research and design of the first atomic bombs.

Starting point is 00:40:34 Oppenheimer was a genius and also a controversial choice since many of his family members were confirmed communists. And his previous leadership had only been overseen about 15 researchers, but Groves knew that Oppenheimer Oppenheimer was the nerd he needed, the one nerd to lead them all. So he kidnapped him, forced him to live in a laboratory basement where he successfully completed, you know, he had to successfully complete five equations every morning before he got a cold biscuit. Another two for glass of water, one equation every time we needed to go to the bathroom.

Starting point is 00:41:00 If he didn't get at least 15 equations cranked out every single day, he got the mother fucking whip. No, he was hired like a normal person. Groves and Oppenheimer made a winning team. Groves got Oppenheimer anything he needed for scientific pursuits. And Oppenheimer gave Groves consistent results. Oppenheimer was born April 22nd, 1904. By the age of 10, he was studying minerals, physics and chemistry. He didn't choose to be a nerd. He was born a nerd. His correspondence with the New York Mineral Elogical Club was so advanced in the society invited him to deliver a lecture not realizing he was a 12 year old boy. You know, his childhood reminds me a lot of my own childhood in a sense that he was once

Starting point is 00:41:41 a young boy and I was once a young boy. And he liked rocks and I liked rocks. Now, that's about where the comparison ends. Oppenheimer enrolled at Harvard in September of 1922, graduated in three years, excelling in a wide variety of subjects. Although he majored in chemistry, Oppenheimer eventually realized his true passion was to study physics. 1925 began his graduate work at physics at Cavendish Laboratories in Cambridge, England.

Starting point is 00:42:06 At Cavendish, Oppenheimer realized that his talent was for theoretical, not experimental physics. I remember when I had to make that choice. I was like, man, I'm so good at theoretical physics and experimental physics. Gosh, what's my heart? I don't know what one of those things is. He got an invitation from back, Max Bourne, director of the Institute of theoretical physics

Starting point is 00:42:28 at the University of Gotttenham to study with him in Germany. How insane is this? When you really think about it, to be that fucking smart. Like you're so smart, some director in another country of some theoretical physics is like, hey, do you want to move to Germany to help us with all these numbers? We got a lot of numbers.

Starting point is 00:42:46 Man, I've been trying to crunch them, it's so hard. I've been trying to crunch them in a way that no human being has ever crunched these sons of bitches before. And my colleagues are some of the smartest nerds who've ever lived. And we were thinking that you might be a smarter nerd. That is just bananas to me, to be that exceptional.

Starting point is 00:43:04 That's something, to be that gifted. to push your mind past where any human mind has gone before. Oppenheimer had the good fortune to be in Europe during the pivotal time in the world of physics. As European physicists were then developing the groundbreaking theory of quantum mechanics. I get it. I know I can say those two words. Oppenheimer received his doctorate 1927, accepted professorships at the University of California Berkeley and the California Institute of Technology. Everyone is all up swinging on his nerd-jock. At Berkeley, he became good friends with Ernest Lawrence, one of the world's top experimental

Starting point is 00:43:36 physicist, the inventor of the cyclotron, some type of particle accelerator whose use would be instrumental in the success of the Manhattan Project. Okay, now in enough context. Oh, heek! My goodness, got to take a little sip. That was a lot of big word. Oh, boy, my heck. Now let's take into the year by year development of scientists almost ensuring our world's

Starting point is 00:43:59 future, nuclear destruction in today's time-soaked timeline right after a word from today's you know first sponsor Today's top so it was brought to you by Anton Satanic Big Topper less tripp show Get on down the down down this weekend sneak out of the big top to see those tops draw up with Anton Satanic Big Topper less Tripp show This Saturday at midnight we're giving away $1,000 to the loose afina inspired lady who puts on the best show. Shell starts at 8 p.m.

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Starting point is 00:47:08 Link in the episode description and on the TimeSuck app, Timeline right now. Shrap on those boots, soldier. We're marching down a TimeSuck timeline. time, time, time. Line. The Manhattan Project began because of the theoretical physics of a few German 1930s. Their discoveries built on the backs of research completed decades earlier. We touched on some of the following info in SUCK 79 Chernobyl and SUCK 67.

Starting point is 00:47:39 Cousin Fucker, I mean Einstein, pass it on. On November 8th, 1895, a German physicist named Wilhelm Conrad, Ronken, discovered X-rays and got this snowball rolling. Fucking Germans, they started World War One, they started World War Two, they got the ball rolling towards mutually assured, you know, destruction,

Starting point is 00:48:00 winning doubt blame Germany. That's the main takeaway from this episode. You know, you didn't get that promotion, you know you know you deserved well fucking Germans. You joints hurt when it gets cold. It's not arthritis. It's Germans Did you know that when my wife Lindsay is mostly Polish? She's also a little bit German quite a bit German actually of course Yes, she's an evil savage. You know it and I know it She's also very cute evil savages. I love some keep it her and by evil. I mean sweet and by savage. I mean savage in 1896 French physicist and re Becquerel discovers radio activity. Go okay, good. France is fault too. Between Napoleon and Henry, I knew there was a lot of

Starting point is 00:48:34 didn't like about the French. In 1898, Marie and Pierre Curie discover Pologneium and Radium. If you will call from the Chernobyl suck, Marie Curie, while she later became a citizen of France, was actually born and raised in Poland. Of course, the polls are responsible in some way for weapons. 1911 Ernest Rutherford, New Zealand-born British physicist, father of a physics articulates his model of the atom. His conclusions in the center of the atom exist in nucleus, containing the majority of the atom's mass and all of its

Starting point is 00:49:05 positive charge. Fucking Kiwi, Germany, France, Poland, New Zealand. Those monsters started this mess. Feels good to know that the US had nothing to do with it. You know, the bombs you're getting dropped on here is Shima Nagasaki, really, really not the US. It was really the other countries I just mentioned. And if you're new listener, of course I'm kidding.

Starting point is 00:49:22 I'm not as much of a lunatic as I pretend to be. I don't think. On December 28th, 1931, Irene, Juliet, Curie, French scientist, daughter of Marie-Empire, Curie, reports studying penetrating particles produced by Beryllium, or Beryllium, Wimbombarded by Alpharraise. She believes the particles, which are actually neutrons, to be energetic at gamma rays, and May of 1932, British physicist James Chadwick officially discovers a neutron. On September 12, 1933, our buddy Leo Salar conceives the idea of using a chain reaction of neutron collisions with atomic nuclei to release energy.

Starting point is 00:49:56 He also considers the possibility of using this to make bombs. Mid-January 1934, Irene, Juliet Curie, and her husband, fellow French physicist, Frederick, I think is Joli, or Joli Ott maybe, conduct the first demonstration of artificial radio activity. They would be jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1935 for the discovery of artificial radio activity, radioactive manipulation essential to building the big bombs. And May of 1934, Enrico Fermi, the Italian American physicist, who would later be called the architect of the age and his team in Rome bombard elements with neutrons

Starting point is 00:50:31 and split uranium, but don't realize it. The Italians also behind all of this. And they lack it. Nucleus. It's like a Nucleus Obama. On July 4th, 1934, Salard pulls that sweet move where he files a patent application, describing the use of neutron-induced chain reactions to create explosions in the concept of

Starting point is 00:50:51 critical mass. In December of 35, James Chadwick wins the Nobel Prize in Physics for discovery of the neutron. December 1st, 1938, Otto Hahn, a German chemist who is called the father of the nuclear, you know, chemistry, submits a paper conclusively showing the production of radioactive barium for neutron-ir radiated uranium, all this high-level stuff. December 24, 1938, Otto Frisch, an Austrian-born British physicist, and his aunt, Liz Metner, correctly interpret Otto Hahn's results as evidence that uranium nucleus, the yeah, that the uranium nucleus happens split in two. Fission had been accomplished.

Starting point is 00:51:32 Pandora's most destructive box had been opened on January 26, 1939. Neils Bohr, a Danish physicist who won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1922 publicly announces the discovery of fission at an annual theoretical, theoretical physics conference at George Washington University and Washington, DC. On January 29, 1939, Robert Oppenheimer, here's about the discovery of fission within a few minutes. Come so hard, you guys. I mean, within a few minutes, he realizes that excess neutrons must be emitted and it might be possible to build a bomb

Starting point is 00:52:05 So he's responsible. Okay. All right, maybe it's kind of America's fault. We have these bonds on April 22nd 1939 Frederick Joliot and his group published their work on the secondary neutrons released a nuclear. Ah dang it too many times I forgot hit the button, right. I think I think I'm gonna done right in I think I'm going to do it right. In nuclear, fission, nuclear. Maybe I just say it like that all the time, released in nuclear fission. This demonstrates that a chain reaction is indeed possible. Big bombs possible, very big bombs.

Starting point is 00:52:37 On August 2nd, 1939, President Roosevelt receives the Einstein letter I mentioned earlier, written by Salard, warning about the prospect of an atomic bomb He starts thinking about the implications of developing atomic weapons Then he changes his mind and he decides not to pursue it Then former suck subjects Eleanor Roosevelt punches him in the fucking face and screams You're embarrassing me Frank. Let's stop being a pussy just because your legs don't work right? Does it mean your balls can't work right? Bob those motherfuckers. It's the only way. If you're not gonna use them, I'm gonna get a steak knife. I'm gonna come back here and cut your goddamn

Starting point is 00:53:08 weak will balls out from under your goddamn lady dick. Sorry, I know that was intense, but you know, history it is what it is. And that's what she said. And if you don't believe me, well, look it up, okay? Look it up. Look it up, and you'll never find it, because yeah, you're right, she didn't say that.

Starting point is 00:53:23 Okay, are you happy now? August 31st, 1939, Bohr American theoretical physicist John A Wheeler published a theoretical analysis of vision Their theory implies that uranium 235 is more fizzle than you 238 and that the isotope of the undiscovered elements 94 Platonium with 239 nucleons is also very fizzow. The implications towards atomic weapon creation are not immediately recognized, but they soon will be. While this is going on, bad things are happening in Europe. Captain Nady Pantz mustache monster making some dirty power moves.

Starting point is 00:53:57 On September 1st 1939, Nazi Germany invades Poland, which marks the beginning of World War II. So it's kind of Poland's fault that all this happened. On August, October 21st, 1939, first meeting of the advisory committee on uranium and washington, DC, which as we discussed was created at president Roosevelt's order, or meet and up. Physicians argue for urgent government attention, but there's a little bit of pushback. Right? People can't understand what the fuck these nerds are talking about. Edward Teller requests $6,000 for research on preliminary uranium graphite slow neutron experiments,

Starting point is 00:54:30 which is grudgingly approved. And I do imagine these guys having some pushback because it's just hard to understand. They're like, listen, we gotta get some, you know, preliminary uranium graphite slow neutron experiments. Like, fuck, what? In English, please. And then they try to like break it down and it's like,

Starting point is 00:54:45 nope, still don't get it. March 1940, auto-fresh, Rudolph Peerles concluded only one pound. Why can't any of these guys have a name like Bob, fucking Johnson, either? Fucking scientists talking about stupid crazy shit. It's not stupid, I know, but it's just like, it's like,

Starting point is 00:55:00 it's just one scrap of word after another and they can't even have a decent fucking simple name. Otto Frisch and Rudolph fucking stupid valed name. Concluded only one pound of highly enriched uranium is needed for a bomb. Meanwhile, the Nazis continue to attack our neighbors. April 9th, 1940, the Nazis invade Denmark and Norway. April 10th, the first meeting of the British committee,

Starting point is 00:55:21 later codenamed Maud Committee committee organized by Henry Tzard. There you go, I like you Henry. To consider Britain's actions regarding the uranium problem, research into isotope separation and fast fission is agreed upon. Britain knows it may need a new level of weapon in order to stop the führer. April 27th, the so-called uranium committee is in the US,

Starting point is 00:55:40 led by US engineer and physicist Lyman Briggs meets for the second time. They first met on November 1st, 1939. They decided to postpone research on fast fission and work on critical uranium graphite assembly until more small scale lab experiments are conducted to make sure that when they go big with research they move in the right direction. Right? Because there's all these different possibilities of how this thing might explode. They're trying to, you know, get started in the right path and don't waste a bunch of time. May 10th, 1940, Germany launches a massive assault in Western Europe attacking Holland,

Starting point is 00:56:09 Belgium, France. June of 1940, the mod committee, that British, you know, research group officially acquires its name. The acronym sought to stand for military application of uranium detonation. France, Simon, a German and British physical chemist and physicist, begins research on isotopes separation through gaseous diffusion. On June 27th, 1940, the National Defense Research Committee is created to organize US scientific resources for war, including research on the atom and the vision of uranium, things are

Starting point is 00:56:40 starting to pick up. On July 1st, a newly founded National Defense Research Committee, headed by Vannever Bush, takes over responsibility for uranium research. In his final report, Lyman Briggs requests $140,000 for more work, $40,000 for lab measurements, $100,000 for large-scale uranium graph ice studies. Bush approves only $40. Come on, Bush! Can't go cheap on the nukes!

Starting point is 00:57:01 God knows what Hitler's up to. November of 1945, this is John Dunning and Harold Ure began investigating isotope separation techniques without US government support. Bush not cutting them a check isn't going to stop them from pushing forward. Also in November, the $40,000 contract from the NDRC finally comes through. Lab work begins in Manhattan, New York to assemble a large subcritical pile made of graphite and uranium oxide. And that's where the Manhattan Project name comes from. This, you know, this initial funded lab.

Starting point is 00:57:29 In December 1940, the Mod Committee in Britain issues a report on isotope separation authored by France Simon. The report concludes that manufacturing uranium 235 by gaseous diffusion is feasible on a scale suitable for weapons production. Oh, nuclear bombs are looking more possible by the second. Few months later in February 1941, an American chemist future Nobel Prize winner Glenn Seaborg and his research team discover Platonium. Love Platonium. It's a nuclear word that I feel very confident pronouncing Platonium. Platonium. Love it.

Starting point is 00:58:01 very confident pronouncing, plutonium, plutonium, love it. On March 28th, 1941, chemist Joseph Kennedy, Glenn Seaborg, Italian physicist, future Nobel Prize winner, Emilio Segre. Show they get a plutonium sample to undergo slow fission, which implies it is potential bomb material, more progress. More progress is happening elsewhere in the world too, at least attempts at, you

Starting point is 00:58:25 know, atomic progress may have 1941, Toki-Taro, Hagawara, at the University of Kyoto, delivers a speech in which he discusses the possibility of fusion explosions, being ignited by atomic bombs, apparently the first such mention. Important to mention that Japan, another access power in World War II, also working on atomic weapons during World War II. Their weapons program was headed by the Scientific Contemporary of Albert Einstein or A Scientific Contemporary, Dr. Yoshio Nishina.

Starting point is 00:58:52 Japanese never got very far with their atomic weapons program until April of 1941. Japan and Germany would have their programs hindered by trouble finding weapon-grade uranium. They just couldn't find the right isotopes. I feel a little bit smarter saying that word. I did yesterday. They could get uranium 238, but not uranium 235. I mean, they had, sure, they had a tunnel, a shitty old RV part grade uranium.

Starting point is 00:59:14 And you'll want to be a nuke master can get 238, but they couldn't find the two, you know, the 235's. I mean, you want 235? I can get you 235, believe me. There are ways, dude. You don't want to know about it, believe me. Hell, I can get you two thirty-five by three o'clock this afternoon with nail polish. Yes, I did slip into a little bit of big Lebowski stuff for a second. Not tombstone, but a top five favorite movie for sure.

Starting point is 00:59:38 Another reason Japan didn't develop an atomic bomb before America was poor intelligence, just like Germany. Neither country believed America was capable of pulling off, developing the weapons that we did as fast as we did. Thank God, the Manhattan Project was kept as secret as it was, because if information would have been leaked out, it could have changed the war and the future of the world substantially. The war would come down to a battle of nerds, and our nerds were able to win, no, in part because of the US government's efforts to maintain total secrecy with this project. Thank God again that Russia was on our side for the war effort. Also in May of 1941, after months of growing pressure from scientists in Britain and the

Starting point is 01:00:12 US, Vannever Bush at the National Defense Research Committee decides to review the prospects of... Nuclear energy further and engages Arthur Compton and the National Academy of Sciences for this task. He's ready to spend more money. The report is issued May 17th, treats military prospects favorably for power production, does not address the design or manufacture of a bomb yet in any detail. At the same time, Bush creates a larger and more powerful office of scientific research and development, OSRD, and power to engage in large engineering projects in addition to research

Starting point is 01:00:44 and becomes its director. On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany invades the Soviet Union. Oh! Germans are getting real aggressive across the pond. Might need to prioritize atomic weapons research. On July 15, 1941, the mod committee approves its final report in disbans. The report describes atomic bombs in some technical detail, provides specific proposals for how to develop them, and includes cost estimates. The contents of the mod report

Starting point is 01:01:10 reach Vannever Bush, but not through official channels quite yet. The US has spies as well, even inside the ranks of its allies. He understands that an atomic bomb is now a feasible creation, but can they build one quick enough? From August the September 1941 in Rico Fermi and his team of scientists in Manhattan began assembling a subcritical experimental pile containing 30 tons of graphite, eight tons of uranium oxide. The results indicate that pure materials will be needed to create weapons-grade isotopes. In September of 1941, Enrico asked Edward Teller

Starting point is 01:01:46 whether a fission explosion could ignite a fusion reaction in deuterium, also known as heavy hydrogen. Ever some studies, Teller concludes that it is, that it is impossible to create a hydrogen bomb. Well, after the war, they would find out that's natural. On the 3rd of September 1941, with Prime Minister Winston Churchill's endorsement, the British Chiefs of Staff agreed to begin development of an atomic bomb.

Starting point is 01:02:08 On October 3, the Mod report reaches the U.S. through official channels. On October 9, Vannever Bush brings the Mod report to President Roosevelt for his consideration. FDR asked Bush to determine the cost of an atomic bomb and to explore army construction needs, getting serious now. On October 21st, a variety of American physicists review the British mod report, conclude the review by stating that they feel confident they can build an atomic bomb. On November 1st, US scientists John Dunning and Eugene Booth and Manhattan demonstrate the first measurable US-235 enrichment through

Starting point is 01:02:40 gaseous diffusion. Getting closer, getting closer all the time. December 6th, Vannever Bush holds a meeting in Washington to organize an accelerated research project. An accelerated is an understatement. The advances in science made with the Manhattan Project would have probably taken multiple generations to figure out without the huge push that was made without all the money. You know, push toward all the top minds were gathered and able to work together. No expense was spared. Once this project really got going. Now, the, the, the US was able to build this bomb was because of, you know, national focus,

Starting point is 01:03:12 the priority given the Manhattan Project. December 7th, 1941, a day that has lived in infamy, Japan attacks Pearl Harbor. The next day, US declares war in Japan. Three days later, December 11th, the US declares war in Japan. Three days later, December 11th, the US declares war in Germany and Italy following their declarations of war against the US. America is some skin in the game now, even more reason to push its atomic project further and faster. December 18th, 1941, first meeting of the S1 project, updated version of the uranium committee, held sponsored by the Office of Scientific Research and Development, dedicated to the full-scale research

Starting point is 01:03:47 development of vision weapons. January 19th, 42, President Roosevelt officially approves production of an atomic bomb. Eleanor mumbles behind him as he signs, finally, he's finally got some balls. Maybe those put some lead back in your pencil. I'm not sure that Eleanor part is true. My sources for that quote are pretty weak actually.

Starting point is 01:04:06 Arthur Compton creates the metallurgical laboratory at the University of Chicago, acts as a consolidated research center. He transfers work on uranium burners, also known as reactors to it. Oppenheimer organizes a program on fast neutron theoretical physics at the University of California Berkeley. February 1942, Arthur Compton asked physicist Gregory Bright to coordinate physics research

Starting point is 01:04:28 on fast neutron phenomena. All these nerds work on some of these nerds shit. Lab coats being worn around the clock, beakers always polished. Chalkboards filled up with equations, papers balled up and thrown in trash cans and frustration. Strong nerd words thrown about when the numbers don't add up. My heck!

Starting point is 01:04:42 Is that a flippin' answer? What? It's out of a biscuit! Who's fucking crazy, you guys? April 42 in Rico Fermi relocates to the Chicago Met Lab. He's building that experimental pile. You know, a low kind of grade. Nuclear.

Starting point is 01:04:57 Reactor in the Stagfield Squash course. He begins planning the construction of the world's first man-made critical pile to be called Chicago Pile 1, simply CP one. Or simply, yeah, Fermi's efforts now shift from demonstrating feasibility to securing graphite and uranium of adequate purity and sufficient quantity to get their weapons going. May 18, 1942 Gregory Bright, who's been coordinating physics research on fast neutron

Starting point is 01:05:19 phenomenon quits, leaving the neutron physics effort without leadership. He just felt that, you know, things were moving too slow. There'd also been numerous security breaches under his watch. So he decides to step out, get out of the way and let somebody else lead. And that's when Compton asked Oppenheimer to take over in his place. May 1942, Oppenheimer writes Ernest Lawrence, that the atomic bomb problem is solved in principle. And that six good physicists should have the details most he worked out in six months.

Starting point is 01:05:45 Now he was a wee bit optimistic here. Take longer than six months, but he, you know, he was right about being able to accomplish it and he will see this project through to its fruition. June 42, Oppenheimer leads an effort on fast neutron physics, prepares an outline for the entire neutron physics program. Still in June 42, the Chicago Met Lab, engineering council begins developing plans for large scale plutonium production. FDR approves a plan for spending 85 mil for this weapon development program.

Starting point is 01:06:12 June 18th, due to continuing and increasing organizational problems, Colonel James Marshall is ordered by Brigadier General, Wilhelm Steyer, to organize a US Army Corps of Engineers district to take over and consolidate atomic bomb development. On June 28, 42, Germany and her access partners launched a new offensive in the Soviet Union. German troops fight their way into Stalin-Grad on the Volga River by mid-September and penetrate

Starting point is 01:06:36 deep into the Caucasus after securing the Kremlin peninsula. Damn Nazis, still chicken everyone's asses, let's get that fucking bomb ready. Between July and September, 42 Oppenheimer resembles a theoretical study group in Berkeley to examine the principles of bomb design. During the summer, the group develops the principles of atomic bomb design and examines the feasibility of fusion bombs. An Oppenheimer emerges as a natural leader. The group estimates the mass of U-235 required for a high yield detonation. July 27, 42, the first shipment of irradiated uranium, 300 pounds of it arrives at the Chicago Met Lab. In mid-August, Enrico Fermé's

Starting point is 01:07:12 group demonstrates that an experimental pile with the projected K-value of close to 1.04, achieving a chain reaction that will produce a massive of massive explosion is now certain. On August 13th, the Manhattan Engineer District is formally assembled. August 20th, Glenn Seaborg, isolates pure plutonium through separation process suitable for industrial scale use. All these people working on all these different places to make this possible. September 14th, 1942, the S1 executive committee recommends building a pilot plant based on earnest lorances, cyclotrons to separate uranium isotopes and Tennessee. The Manhattan Project is really getting going now.

Starting point is 01:07:49 On September 17th, Colonel Leslie Groves, General Leslie Groves, he would be by the end who he met before the timeline, notified that his new assignment is to command the Manhattan Engineer District. The next day, Colonel Groves buys 1,250 tons of high quality Belgian Congo uranium ore stored on Staten Island. And then on the 19th of September, he selects Oak Ridge Tennessee as a site for a pilot plant. He buys site X, which consists of 52,000 acres of land on the clinch river. Preliminary construction will begin soon. September 19th, Groves' insistence to the Manhattan Project as it's now being called,

Starting point is 01:08:24 is granted approval by the war production board to use the highest emergency procurement, priority, and existence when needed. Basically, it's deer groves, whatever you need, you just fucking get it sincerely, Uncle Sam. On September 23rd, 1942, Groves is promoted to Brickardier General. On September 29th, Oppenheimer proposes that a fast neutron lab to study fast neutron physics and develop designs for an atomic bomb needs to be created. In October of 42, General Groves puts the DuPont company in charge of Platonium production. On October 5th, 1942, Groves visits the Chicago Met Lab and meets key scientists including Oppenheimer.

Starting point is 01:09:03 He orders key engineering decisions for Platonium production, under debate for months, be made, and five days. Get it down, you fucking nerds. We don't have time for your AK disagreements. Pick a goddamn plutonium thing, make it weapony. That's an order. On October 15th, General Groves asked Oppenheimer to head project Y, plan to be the new central lab for weapon physics research and design,

Starting point is 01:09:25 I'll turn it to Los Alamos. November 12th, 42, the Military Policy Commission decides to skip any pilot plant stages, go directly from research to industrial production. Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's get to it, let's make it. On November 16th, Groves and Oppenheimer visit in New Mexico and think, yes, this will do just fine for the weapons, minutes.

Starting point is 01:09:44 On November 25th, general General Grove selects Los Alamos as the site for scientific research, codename project-wide, projects inside of projects, codenames inside of codenames, keep it all secret. Oppenheimer selected as laboratory director. In December, Fermi's group, complete Chicago pile one, it works. A critical configuration has been reached. They can get the uranium they need. one it works, a critical configuration has been reached, they can get the uranium they need. On December 6, 42, the MMSunt company is appointed as a contractor to build those alimost laboratory in a handshake deal that I want to paperwork. Son begins construction immediately, plans and blueprints are drawn up as they begin to break ground. So they start on this construction project before they have any plans. I love it. What are we building?

Starting point is 01:10:25 We don't have time to talk about it, I'm having so much. Just start digging some big old fucking foundation holes and we'll fill you in on a need to know basis. Yeah, I need to know what we're building. You need to shut your fucking face and dig you son of a bitch. During the month of December 42,

Starting point is 01:10:40 the work on gashish diffusion improves. Gashish diffusion is chosen as the principal enrichment approach. The Kellogg's corporation, a subsidiary of the Kellogg corporation created to build various atomic facilities, contracts are put in place, hiring begins for plant construction. Kellogg's was formed to keep everything secret, documents now, you know, won't show up in Kellogg's normal files. And the Kellogg corporation, by the way, not related to Kellogg's cereals, which is what I thought for quite some time as I was preparing the suck. The Kellogg corporation, by the way, not related to Kellogg's cereals, which is what I thought for quite some time as I was preparing the suck. The Kellogg company was a big

Starting point is 01:11:10 in New York City based industrial construction company. At first I was like, where the frosted flakes and cheese at people doing building a nuclear base, you know? Well Kellogg, I need you to build me some giant secret nuke bases and do it fast. Can I count on you? Certainly, Mr. President,

Starting point is 01:11:24 if I can build boxes of small tasty crunchy cheese wafers, if I can make, you know, super sugary diabetes cereal and somehow convince Americans it's good for them, we'll buy God. I can build you some nuke bases. Also in December of 42, the van ever bush provides Roosevelt with an estimate, placing the total cost for the Manhattan Project at 400 million, almost five times as much as the previous cost estimate. If the R hesitates, and then Eleanor punches him in the solar plexus, signing a week-well son of a bitch!

Starting point is 01:11:53 He reluctantly signs, and by reluctantly I mean he didn't hesitate. He sounded just fine. And now before we wrap up 1942, let's take a quick break from the timeline for just one last sponsor. Again, time suckers brought to you today by Anton Satanic Big Top or Les Strip Show. let's take a quick break from the timeline for just one last sponsor uh... again i'm stuck in practice today by antons a tannic big-topperless trip show another reminder there's so many celebrity judges i forgot to mention earlier like head camper mother

Starting point is 01:12:18 why are the naked ladies dancing to make a my micropink tingle think about my micropink riles my shabbles mother. Robert butchered bag of hands, and I was gonna be there. G-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g- That will be out of hand. Hurry, a dream teacher, house, I'm spreading new brands that I need to water if you give up what I'm saying. Woo-ee! Chicken Joe will also be showing up. Bop, hop, hop, hop.

Starting point is 01:12:55 I'm about to break down those fingers for shows. We can't climb, we can't squawk, squawk no more. Even putty and jiu-jiu are gonna be there. Put it in your left box, Shirley. Do you let up, do you did a putty? We should there. Put it in your life box, Shirley. Do you let up, do you, did it, Poodie? Wish I could put it in her lunch box. Oh my heck! It'll stick around after the contest for the after party.

Starting point is 01:13:13 Andrew Holtsman and Bob bringing his air banjo champion to get busy with the ads on the collipy. Ding dong, ding dong, ding ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, Ding-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-d I'm a real sponsor, I'm not gonna talk like this anymore. Is the awesome great courses plus, yes, today's time's like brought to you by Great Courses Plus. Seems like there's an infinite amount of information uploaded to the internet every day. It's hard to know what's accurate. That's why I love the Great Courses Plus. Valuable in-depth content I can trust.

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Starting point is 01:15:08 Can you imagine if I did the entire just ran through facts through the episode? Still in December 1942, plans and contracts were made for the construction of an experimental reactor were plutonium separation plant and an electromagnetic separation facility at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Nah, that'd be painful. For me at least January 16th, 1943, General Grove selects Hanford, Washington as a site for plutonium production, the Big Three, Hanford Oak Ridge, Los Alamos. They're all moving now.

Starting point is 01:15:38 Yeah, hell no, run. That's a smooth. Temporary February of 1943, the Soviet Union secretly launches its own atomic program under the direction of Igor Kirchitov. The program was extremely limited throughout the war and never included more than 50 personnel. Thank you. Thankfully. March of 1943, the original construction program nearest completion, staff begins to arrive

Starting point is 01:15:59 at Los Alamos to begin testing operations. From this point on, the site grows nonstop throughout the end of the war. I didn't find it in any research, but I imagine contractor M.M. soon still being kept in the dark. Why would you like me to build next general? You finished what you're building now, son? And when tomorrow comes, I'll tell you where to pour some concrete. If that's even what we're doing, might be asphalt, maybe wood, maybe we're building a redwood deck from my new summer home. Okay, you piece of shit. I'll trust you soon. And that's why you will never know what's going on around here. It's definitely not a

Starting point is 01:16:28 new theme park, wink, wink. It's not that. There will not be water slides. Please don't tell anyone about our top secret roller coasters. By the first April to Oak Ridge sites closed off to public access. Also construction begins on a plant for manufacturing gasses to diffusion barriers and decaturial annoy, in April, Los Alamos provides a scientist and ductary lectures on physics and bomb design. At the beginning of the month of April, the original building plan for the Los Alamos installation

Starting point is 01:16:57 is 96% complete. It's already apparent that the original construction program inadequate to meet needs. MMSunt has a nervous breakdown. He got it, he got it, he got it, he got it, he talked to me, I wouldn't meet him bigger than my, I was just making plans. Still in April, a series of staff conferences

Starting point is 01:17:13 amongst the roughly 100 scientific staff members has held at Los Alamos. Physicist Seth Nehemiar begins research on implosion, seeking to compress hollow metal assemblies. Also in April, German American Physicist Hans Beth is selected over American theoretical physicist Edward Teller to head to theoretical division. Teller is placed in charge of research on fusion weapons. Old Robbie Oppenheimer projects that 100 grams of 25% of rich youth 235 will be produced by electromagnetic separation by January 1, 1944, and general gross is happy with this timeline.

Starting point is 01:17:44 You know, he's probably like, yeah, yeah, great. Yeah, January 44, yeah, that's about us. I thought I would take about that long to make 100 grams of the U235 stuff, for sure. Yep, couple extra ice dopes, you know, every few days, I get it. You don't need to explain to me. I might not be a scientist, but I understand all this stuff. 100% for sure. On the last day of May, 1943, surveying begins at the K-25 plant, gashish diffusion uranium enrichment planet Oak Ridge, construction begins in June, June 24th working with the cyclotron,

Starting point is 01:18:18 produces plutonium, another step closer to the atomic bomb. From July 10th to the 15th, 1943, the first physics experiments conducted at Los Alamos. In August of that year, despite the efforts of more than 1,000 researchers at Kellex and Columbia University, no suitable gases, gaseous diffusion barrier materials been developed yet. Due to lagging progress on this, continuing uncertainties about the required amount of U-235 needed for the bomb. General Groves decides to double the size of the Y-12 plant, built to no grove to enrich uranium. Doubling down. All this must have been so frustrating for people like Groves, man, who weren't scientists, who had to supervise all of this. So hard to like give these guys

Starting point is 01:18:57 deadlines. You know, you got somebody in the Pentagon checking in all the time. Why aren't the nukes ready, Groves? They're working as fast as they can sir Are they groves? If they're working so hard, why don't we have those nukes yet? I don't know sir, not exactly. It's all very confusing to be honest sir But I've yelled them more and they seem to write equations on the chalkboard faster with more urgency There's also been a lot more beaker activity lately sir a lot more isotope talk Well push those nerds harder groves. I'll try sir, but they're soft, so soft. They're not like soldiers, sir. Sometimes when I yell at them, they cry, sir. They throw down their clipboards and they pout. It's very frustrating. If I could beat the correct equations out of them,

Starting point is 01:19:34 God knows I would, sir. I'd be hitting kicking nerds 24 hours of fucking day, sir. Still in August 1943, the first alpha electromagnetic separation unit for your ryanian begins operation construction staff at oak ridge now exceeds twenty thousand people twenty thousand people who don't know what the working on how where is that also in august construction begins on all the cooling systems for production reactors at handford washington construction staff there about five thousand uh... around this time president fdr winston church hill sign the quabek

Starting point is 01:20:03 agreement the u-k and the u-s-a basically pledged to work together on the nukes and formally agree not to fuck each other over you know not to use the tech and other countries without consent or communicate their findings to any other countries and also gave the president u-s-a the final say in these matters since u-s-was taken on most of the financial cost

Starting point is 01:20:21 to make sure england new you know it was you know running second-fiddled to the u-s-a-l-n-r-o- to the US, Eleanor Roosevelt spit in Churchill's face and flipped his balls. And she pulled him close and she's like, what bitch? What the fuck you gonna do? Sorry, I'm having a lot of fun making former sucks up your Eleanor Roosevelt just a ruthless kind of gangster bullying this timeline. September 8th, 1943, Italy surrenders to Allied forces. This is nice.

Starting point is 01:20:44 This is big. One of the big three access powers is down. I mean, the least powerful for sure, but still allied powers are, you know, winning the war. So should the US halt atomic research? No, because the US can't know for sure that Germany isn't making faster atomic progress than they are or the Japan isn't. Even though victory in World War Two is looking to, you know, starting to look more certain by the day, you know, some new very big, very, you know, bomb could instantly turn things around for the Nazis and the Japanese. In October of 43, Project Alberta, the full-scale atomic bomb delivery program begins. Physicist Norman Ramsey, another future noble winner, selected to modify aircraft for delivering atomic bombs. October 4th, Duupont engineers released reactor design

Starting point is 01:21:25 drawings for the first Hanfordal-Petonian production pile. In November of 43, the top experts in England on fission weapons, many former members of the mod committee depart England for the US to desist in atomic bomb, you know, this project. Let's get it going faster. Also in November, Soviet troops liberate Kiev. The Nazis not prepared for sustained steage, sustained siege and the harshness of a Russian winner. On November 29th, the first B-29 modifications began in right field Ohio to adapt it for carrying the heavier atomic bombs. In January of 44, the development of the bomb is racing forward.

Starting point is 01:22:00 George crazy last name, Kysa Tikowsky, something like that. Ukrainian American physical chemistry, professor from Harvard arrives at Los Alamos to assist Seth Niermeyer in implosion research also in January general grows and Oppenheimer began planning the first test for a fission bomb Grove stipulates that the active material must be recoverable if a fizzle occurs So the construction of jumbo a 214 ton steel container is authorized to capture, you know, the material case the bomb doesn't fully explode. March 3rd, 1944, drop test of dummy atomic bomb has begun from a specially modified B-29s

Starting point is 01:22:38 in Wendover, Utah, doing stuff all over the place. Also in March, fearing Hungary's intention to desert an Axis partnership, the Germans occupy Hungary and appoint a pro-German minister president. Nazi still have a lot of fighting them as do the Japanese. In April of 44, IBM, calculating equipment arrives at Los Alamoses, put to work on implosion research. Also in April, British businesses, James Tuck suggests the idea of using explosive lenses to create spherical, convergingging implosion waste. Finally, I've been waiting for that for so long. Gosh, man, everyone knows that spherical converging implosion waves are way fucking better than using just a variety of simultaneous detonation points over the service of a sphere. I mean, sure, you can try different methods of inert spacers or gaps as opposed to shape

Starting point is 01:23:20 charge, like jets, you know, form the, when detonation waves from adjacent initiation points merge, but everyone knows you're just gonna be spalling on the interior service of the holocore, which is obviously a serious problem. I tried to throw a lot of big words to get. I don't know if any of that shit made any sense at all, but I know that I heard a pop inside my head and I smell blood.

Starting point is 01:23:39 Around that same time, the Monsanto company in Dayton, Ohio begins delivering polonium for initiator, the Monsanto Company in Dayton, Ohio begins delivering Pallonium for initiator research. Monsanto. Deluminati. By May of 44, the Los Alamos staff exceeds 1200 employees. More and more people work on this project. Also in the month of May, two British scientists join Los Alamos, prove to have important impacts on the implosion program.

Starting point is 01:24:01 May 9th, the 50-milo-watt water boiler reactor goes critical at Los Alamos, holding 565 grams of U-35 dissolved in a 12-inch sphere of water. This is the world's first reactor to be used to be used in rich uranium and the first critical assembly constructed at Los Alamos. And it's like super important for nuke bumps, right? These fucking nuke nerds, they've almost done it. On May 28th of 1944, the first test of the exploding wire detonator used to achieve precise, reliable simultaneous detonation from plosion occurs. Bomb, almost check. Detonator for almost check. Bomb, fully checked. June 6, 1944, Allied forces launched the Normandy invasion.

Starting point is 01:24:40 Over 425,000 Allied and German troops are killed, wounded, or go missing during the Battle of Normandy. This figure includes over 209,000 Allied casualties with nearly 37,000 dead amongst the ground forces and a further 16,714 deaths amongst the Allied Air Forces. The Allies win this battle and are winning the war, but a lot of Allied troops are dying in order to accomplish this. By the end of the war, over 400,000 US soldiers will die. Nearly 400,000 more British soldiers will die. Millions of soldiers and civilians are dying in China, India, the Philippines, elsewhere.

Starting point is 01:25:14 Some estimates put the total Soviet death toll at over 25 million for the war. Plus there's the Holocaust. Between five and six million Jewish Europeans will die. More than 70,000 people with disabilities will die. More than 200,000 Roman people. So many other different types of people, either dead or about to die. There's still a lot of incentive to complete atomic bombs and drop them if it's clear that the Nazis and Japanese will lose the war.

Starting point is 01:25:40 That's what's going to end it. It can save so many other potential deaths. Late in the evening of June 15th, B29 Super Fortress Bombers set off for an air raid on mainland Japan. Their target, the Imperial Iron and Steelworks, a Yawata and Northern Kyushu. Japan has so far remained free from air attacks since the largely symbolic due little raid in 1942.

Starting point is 01:26:03 Taking the war directly at them, obviously, has strategic advantages. They could demoralize them, shadow their illusions of invincibility. Also, if the atomic bomb is made, you got to prove that you can get there. The run that they do here, more effective than the due little raid,

Starting point is 01:26:18 when 16 B-52 Mitchells were launched from the USS Hornet to attack targets in Tokyo and Yokohama in response to Pearl Harbor bombings. The bombers were then to fly into China, land safely at pro-US bases, and while some bombs were dropped, proving Japan was vulnerable to air raids, only about 50 Japanese were killed, and all the bombers either crashed or ditched short of their designated landing strips. Most did not reach their bombing targets, or land their bombs, you know, were they intended

Starting point is 01:26:43 to. The bombing of Yawata, little more successful more successful like I said 75 bombers head out on this mission 47 reach their targets However most of the bombs do not actually hit the targets minimal damage is sustained also 5 b29s are lost in the raid The raid does sow some seeds of doubt in the minds of Japanese citizens who have been fed steady propaganda for years about how the allies were incapable of ever reaching them again Now they knew this wasn't true, but the US would have to do a lot better to carry the Manhattan Project to its desired war-ending conclusion. On July 4th, 1944, Oppenheimer reveals Emilio Segre's spontaneous fission measurements to the Los Alamos staff. The discovery of the high spontaneous fission rate of reactor-produced plutonium was a turning point at Los Alamos,

Starting point is 01:27:24 the Manhattan Project, and eventually for the practice of large-scale science after the war, which is 12 months ago before expected weapon delivery, a new, fundamental technology, explosive wave shaping has to be invented, made reliable, and an enormous array of engineering problems still have to be solved. During this next year, the foundations for a variety of post-war scientific advancements are laid. Scientists administrators, as opposed to academic or research scientists, will now be used going forward to run large-scale research efforts.

Starting point is 01:27:52 Automated numerical techniques, as opposed to previous manual analytical ones, will be applied going forward to solve important scientific problems, less chalkboards, more calculators. This line of thinking will lead to the development of computers. Let the robots do the number crunching. Soon no one will ever need to carry the one anymore manually. Still in July of 1944, a number of other things happen. First, the design for a thing called a gun,

Starting point is 01:28:15 gadget, neutron initiator is completed. What's a neutron gun? Sadly, it's not some kind of futuristic star trick laser type gun. Now, it's the thing that kick starts the whole. Nuclear. Chain reaction at the optimal moment to make the bombing bomb go boom boom at the right time. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Paul Tibbets begins organizing the 509th composite group in

Starting point is 01:28:35 July as well at Wendover Field in Utah. This is the group that will fly and deliver the atomic bombs in combat. And in July starting with the Battle of the Philippine Sea, a key naval battle that effectively wiped out the Japanese and period of Navy's carrier fleet, the United States begins to push back against Japan and the Philippines. In August of 44, the Air Force begins modifying 17 B-29s for combat delivery of atomic weapons. In September, FDR and British Prime Minister Churchill signed the Hyde Park Aid memoir, pledging to continue researching atomic and technology together. On October 27th,

Starting point is 01:29:12 Oppenheimer approved plans for a bomb test at Alamagordo bombing range in New Mexico. Shit's about to get real, taking the research from the lab to the dirt. In October, Japan launches its first kamikaze pilot attack against US naval fleet at Laiti and island in the Philippines. Approximately 2,800 Japanese suicide bombers would die during World War II according to estimates. We'll be interesting to do a suck on kamikaze pilot someday. Or World War II from Japan's perspective, I feel like their story gets lost in the West. Most of the focus being on Nazi aggression. Kamikaze pilots managed to hit targets around 14% of the time, sinking 34 Navy ships, damaging 368 others. They killed almost 5,000 sailors and injured almost 5,000 more in the war. On

Starting point is 01:29:56 November 24th, the first B29 raid on Tokyo is launched from newly built army bases on the Marinerah Islands. Operation San Antonio I, US forces had captured the Japanese held islands of Guam, Saipan, Tinian between June and August. F-13s had successfully flown over Tokyo on November 1st and taken numerous reconnaissance photos. And then 111 bombers head out for their primary target, the Musushino aircraft plant. 24 of the B-29 set out for this base, the rest go for a variety of other industrial targets around the city. These were the first planes to attempt to attack Tokyo itself

Starting point is 01:30:30 since Operation Do Little. The attack again causes minimal damage, but further erodes Japanese civilians' confidence in their government's assurances of victory and their government's assurances that they won't allow the war to come to them. The US getting better and better at bombing mainland Japan. December of 1944, the Y-12 plant output climbs from 40 grams in November to 90 grams of highly enriched uranium a day.

Starting point is 01:30:53 Also, work begins on an implosion initiator for the solid core bomb. Still not clear at this point if one can be made. Late in December, the first successful explosive lens tests are conducted at Los Alamos, establishing the feasibility of really making this an implosion bomber reality. And quickly, December 8th of 44, Polish physicist Joseph Rotblatt fired from the Manhattan project when general Groves learns that he is in fact Polish. Groves had long suspected Rotblatt of being Polish, catching a meat in parogies in the break room with his bare hands, numerous times.

Starting point is 01:31:24 Even once here in Rotblatt, his and grunt at another worker who came too close to his precious little balls of dough, cheese and onions. Other scientists complained for months that he didn't know what a fraction was, let alone nuclear physics. And they said he wreaked of cabbage and grilled mutton. And of course, that's not true. Polish physicist Joseph Roblatt resigned from the Manhattan Project in late 1944, when he learns that US intelligence had figured out that Germany had now abandoned its plans to

Starting point is 01:31:49 develop its own atomic bomb project. And he no longer saw the point in developing such a devastating weapon. He would also claim years later that over dinner, he overheard General Groves say that the bomb had less to do with ending the war and more to do with sending the Soviets a message. They were already thinking about the Cold War. The US may have allied with the Soviets during the war, but both sides knew that ideologically there were enemies and would be enemies after the war was over. This talented physicist would dedicate the rest of his career to de-escalating the development

Starting point is 01:32:18 of nuclear weapons and banning their testing in 1995. He would win the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to diminish the part played by new clear arms and international affairs. And in the long run to eliminate such arms. This project of course continues without his involvement, the Manhattan Project, on December 17th.

Starting point is 01:32:37 But it shows you know, people you know, during the project were thinking like, is this a good idea? Should we be doing this? Is this really moral to be doing this? On December 17th, the wonderfully named D-Pile goes critical at Hanford with sufficient reactivity to overcome fission-produced product poisoning effects. Large-scale plutonium production begins.

Starting point is 01:32:56 Now we're really building the bomb. January of 45, number steps forward occur. The Y-12 plant reaches an output of 204 grams of you 235 a day. That'll have enough, they'll be able to make enough to have the bomb by July 1st, plus 160 grams of plutonium from the X 10 graphite reactors on hand at Los Alamos with more coming from hand for it soon. In addition, substantial production of 85% of rich uranium begins at the S 50 plant, 10 of 21 racks going into production operation. General Groves has no fucking idea what any of this means as Nordwai, but the nuke nerds

Starting point is 01:33:28 is sure it's all very good. It's very, it's very important. Excellent. This is, yes, going very well indeed. And the South Pacific, the US Army and Navy continues to battle, start the new year. Bombing rates continue to be launched against mainland Japan, most achieve little success. The allies are for sure winning the war in early 1945. At this point, it's not a matter of if they will win, but win.

Starting point is 01:33:48 They also don't believe Japan is even remotely close to developing its own atomic weapons. However, if you recall, the Unit 731 suck way back in November of 2017 that we did, Japan was also working hard at developing biological weapons for the purpose of widespread civilian death and devastation in American elsewhere. So the pursuit of the big bomb still feels morally justified. Also, if the bombs work, they will end the war much earlier and save an untold number of soldiers' lives. Talk about that in detail later.

Starting point is 01:34:20 The scientists continue to do science shit in February. It's a busy month. The F. reactor goes online at Hanford. Raises theoretical production capacity. The nuke nerds let everyone notice it's good. February 2nd. Los Alamos receives its first plutonium from Hanford. Also good.

Starting point is 01:34:34 A lot of nerd high fives getting tossed around. Uranium gun design and method of detonation completed. Yep. Nerds are so excited about that. They're doing like nerd chairs and stuff. Only planning for development and combat use once you, you 235 is delivered is now required. They're almost there.

Starting point is 01:34:51 At this time, planning for an implosion bomb test begins in earnest. Initiator test begin. Initiator test begin. Demand for a plonium from Dayton rises to 100 curies a month. Admiral Nimitz, Commander in Chief of the Pacific Ocean areas, is notified of the nature of the atomic bar on project now

Starting point is 01:35:08 he will be called upon soon to launch the most devastating air raid any nation in the world is ever seen also during february tenion island one of the three principal islands of the commonwealth of the northern mariana islands is selected as the base of operations for the atomic attack the round trip flight from tenion toky B-29's and average of 12 hours. This proximity to Japan is one reason Tinian would serve as the headquarters for the 509th

Starting point is 01:35:33 composite group, 509th. Meanwhile, the war of the world continues. On February 13th, Dresden Germany is burned to the fucking ground in an incendiary raid killing 25,000 people, most of these civilians. Like Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Jesus Christ, like Hiroshima, excuse me, this cold is driving crazy. Like Hiroshima Nagasaki, the moral justification for the bombing of Dresden would be called a new question after the war.

Starting point is 01:35:58 Most of the targets obliterated in this massive bombing raid were civilian, no military strategic value. Over 1200 British and American bombers dropped more than 3,900 tons of high explosive bombs and incendiary devices on the city raising 1600 acres of the urban center to smoldering rubble. But you know, war is hell. On February 19th, 1945, US Marines land on Iwo Jima, a Japanese observation post for the B-29 raids. Over the next two months, 6,281 US Marines are killed, 21,865 additional Marines are wounded, capturing the island from 20,000 Japanese defenders.

Starting point is 01:36:36 The continuing death toll from battles like this will be used as moral justification for dropping the bombs. On February 23rd of Fire Bomb Test rate on Tokyo with 172 planes burns a full square mile of city, the most destructive rate on Japan to date. The air raids are becoming more and more effective. Japan, though, despite the fight coming more and more often to their soil, has no intention to stop fighting anytime soon. On March 9 to the 10th, General Curtis Lemay launches an all out low altitude fire bomb raid on Tokyo with 334 B29s now flames engulf 15.8 square miles of the city killing about 100,000 people

Starting point is 01:37:16 destroying over a quarter of a million buildings and leaving over a million people homeless holy shit. I've watched so many World War II documentaries, read so many books about the war to go whole class years ago on in college on World War II, and every time I die back in, I'll learn about some new horror. It was such a fucking brutal war. So many atrocities occurred that major events like the March 1945 fire bombing of Tokyo get lost,

Starting point is 01:37:42 overshadowed by atomic bombs, the Holocaust, over 100,000 people died in two days of bombing. Bombing that targeted primarily civilians. Targeted bombing had continued to be largely unsuccessful. So the allies, you know, it's decided, fuck them, kill them all. I mean, imagine if somebody did that to our country now. The 9-11 attacks were seen as cowardly, primarily because of terrorist, targeted civilians.

Starting point is 01:38:04 Just under 3,000 citizens died in those attacks. Mathematically, the March 1945 bombing to Tokyo was over 30 times as tragic. I mean, really think about that. I love America truly, but we've done shit just as evil as anyone else. And if you don't believe that, you are fucking kidding yourself.

Starting point is 01:38:20 You're lying to yourself. Makes me think of Anton Levei's discussion of the nature of evil last week. That what's good, what's evil, largely subjective, largely in the eye of the beholder. We kill a lot of civilians in some other country. That's not evil. No, we need, we need to do that, justify it and pursue the national goals, national security and our defense. Somebody does the exact same thing to us, evil motherfuckers. I have no doubt that after this fire bombing, Japanese citizens thought Americans were the most evil motherfuckers, the earth had ever seen.

Starting point is 01:38:50 And we still hadn't dropped nukes on Hiroshima, Nagasaki yet. Now, saying all this, you know, do I think we were wrong to do what we did? No, fuck if I know, I'm not going to pretend to be some armchair general. I've never served in the military. I will never understand war like those who have. My intent in saying all this is no way to disrespect American military or to make any veterans question what they've done in times of war. My intent is to make us reevaluate the moral judgments we pass against the members of other

Starting point is 01:39:13 nations and their armies. I don't think American soldiers fighting in World War II are evil at all, but I also don't think Japanese and Nazi soldiers were all evil either. That's too easy. That's simplistic black and white thinking. We're good. They're bad. We deserve to fuck them up. They deserve to be fucked up. Life isn't that simple. I don't believe that. I believe that war is hell and a lot of good people die on all sides when it happens,

Starting point is 01:39:34 which is why we should avoid it. It all costs, you know, unless it's absolutely necessary. It becomes somewhat jaded, tacked on so many dark subjects here on the suck. Sometimes, you know, the numbers, they just seem like numbers, no emotion attached to them, but then other times, I just think about what they represent. It just makes me so fucking sad. I'm gonna think of over 100,000 meat sex. So the civilians had nothing to do with bombing Pearl Harbor. They didn't know where the fuck it was on a map.

Starting point is 01:39:56 You know, they didn't have nothing to do with fighting in the Yvijima or anything else war related. People probably just already lost children or brothers or fathers or friends to years of war. People were working in little restaurants and shops. You know, we're about their bills. We're about how other kids are doing in school. People fall in love, people in love.

Starting point is 01:40:12 People looking forward to retirement. You know, I've got another year and then I'm gonna go to Mount Fuji and it's fucking camp and shit. You know, meat sacks with similar dreams, hopes and fears and desires as you. Meat sacks with hearts beaten and same as yours. And then the sky was set on fucking fire.

Starting point is 01:40:27 Wow. After that Japan's still not ready to surrender. It would take so much more blood to convince them to give up the fight. The bomb in Japan continues March 11th to the 18th during these eight days fire raids with similar tactics launched in the Goya, Osaka, Kobe. The second, third and fourth largest cities in Japan at the time, in additional 16 square miles of city are burned. More than 50,000 additional human candles snuffed the fuck out. Now, they did start trying to like give them a heads up, you know, they started dropping

Starting point is 01:40:55 pamphlets, you know, before they would do this like, Hey, I want to take a vacation. We're going to burn your city the fucking ground in two days. The Manhattan Project continues. March 15, 1945, all 21 racks at the thermal diffusion sector at the S 50 plan are finally in operation. April 3rd preparations begin in Tinian Island to support the 509th composite group and actually assemble atomic bombs. April 11th, Oppenheimer reports that George, fucking crazy name, Kioskias Tuskowski has achieved optimal performance with implosion impressions and sub scale tests.

Starting point is 01:41:27 They're almost there. Next day, auto-freeze completes critically, criticality and zero yield experiments with U-235 at Los Alamos. Nuke nerd celebrate by singing a somewhat enthusiastic adaptation of, for he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow, fellow for his a jolly get fellow. Some people can deny most notably the Japanese for not big fans of anything's going on here for understandable reasons. Also in April 12th, FDR is the only man to be elected president in the United States four times. The Tom Brady of US presidents dies of stroke.

Starting point is 01:41:56 Eleanor is furious. She repeatedly kicks his corpse for several hours around the White House. Oh, you just couldn't hang on till the end. Could you FDR? I knew you were a big pussy. I knew it. If I was in charge, could you have to, I knew you were a big pussy. I knew it. If I was in charge, we would have had a new two years ago.

Starting point is 01:42:08 No, she was super sad. Vice President Harry S. Truman becomes a 33rd President of the United States late on the night of the 12th. President Truman learns about the Manhattan Project from Secretary of War Henry Simpson and he says, oh, shit, we can do that. He'll be briefed and full two weeks later. Can you imagine your second in command been fighting in this crazy war for years, leader dies.

Starting point is 01:42:30 And then someone's like, oh, hey, come here. By the way, we're months away from having the most powerful weapon by far the world has ever fucking seen. Anyway, are you gonna be moving in the Lincoln room now? And your wife, Bess had mentioned that she wanted to change the carpet. Oh, back up. What were you just saying about the weapon? Trimitus reportedly, please, very pleased by the Manhattan Project. in the Lincoln room now, and your wife best had mentioned that she wanted to change the carpet. Whoa! Back up!

Starting point is 01:42:45 What were you just saying about the women? Trimett is reportedly pleased, very pleased, by the Manhattan Project. He's fully on board with his continuation. April 27th, the first meeting of the target committee has held. Their job is exactly what their name implies. To conceptualize and build giant department stores

Starting point is 01:42:59 that will be as addictive as to housewives and stay at home moms as actual crack. Quality products for affordable prices with little pizza shops and electronic sections inside to make them almost appealing or at least tolerable to men. No. The target committee's job is to select targets for atomic bombing. They're very close now to developing atomic bombs. They're picking out where to drop them. 17 targets are selected for study. Tokio Bay, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe, Hiroshima, Kakura, Fukuka, Nagasaki, Saasable. Then some of these targets are quickly dismissed because conventional bombing raids had already

Starting point is 01:43:34 fucking obliterated them. Still Japan continues to fight. April 30th, the first batch of supplies for the atomic bomb deployment leaves for Tinian island from Wendover, Utah. May of 45, the bomb named Little Boy is ready for combat use, except for the U-235 core. It's estimated that sufficient material will be available by August 1st. And what a weird name for an atomic bomb by the way. Little Boy, not Grim Reaper, not annihilation, not scorched earth or colligula or Satan's

Starting point is 01:44:02 dildo. No, no metal is fuck name for the harbinger of death, little boy. What names didn't make the cut? Uh, we're thinking about calling it candy corn. Or maybe rainbow pony or princess party. All right, boys, today is a fucking day. We're gonna end this war. Show every other nation on earth, the true strength of the American military.

Starting point is 01:44:20 Today is the day we unleash the beast. Get ready, world. It's time for the fucking princess party. May 7th, a hundred and ton explosive tests conducted, 808 tons of TNT laced with a hundred curries of reactor fission products or exploded 800 yards from Trinity ground zero to test instrumentation for the upcoming atomic Trinity test in the soul in New Mexico. This is the largest instrument instrumented explosion conducted up to this date. Gotta make sure the scientists are able to measure the first atomic blast when it happens. Gotta understand the blast theory before just tossing it down in Japan.

Starting point is 01:44:55 This is also the date that Nazi Germany's surrender to the Allies Hitler has lost the war. But Emperor Hirohito, not ready to surrender. The Japanese still held on to hope at a stubborn national pride that they could defeat America. Hope was rapidly fading, but it hadn't quite gone away yet. Between May 10th and 11th, 1945, the Target Committee reconvenes. The target list is shortened to Kyoto, Hiroshima, Yokohama, and Kokuro Arsenal. Nigata is also considered Nagasaki, not currently on the list. May 25th, 464 B29s,

Starting point is 01:45:27 raid Tokyo again, burning out nearly 16 square miles of the remaining city. Wow! Only a few thousand are killed since urban inhabitants have learned to flee fire bomb attacks, quickly in escape to flames. Also, Operation Olympic, the invasion of Kyushu, the southern Japanese island is set to begin in November 1st. I never knew about this. Operation Olympic was part of Operation Downfall, a plan to invade the entirety of mainland Japan. And it's Operation Downfall that would really, you know, in the minds of many, morally justify the drop in the bombs. If not for the Manhattan Project, this is exactly what would have happened. US troops would have stormed Japan's beaches and ports. So many died. It would have been a shit show. More on how many in a bit,

Starting point is 01:46:06 made 28th the target committee meets with Lieutenant Colonel Paul Tibbets. The meeting reviews preparation for delivering atomic bombs reviews the current status of conventional bombing in Japan. Tibbets estimates that at the current pace by January 1st, 1946, every major city in Japan will have been completely fucking destroyed by fire bombs

Starting point is 01:46:26 We were literally prepared and planning to obliterate every single city burn all of them to the ground To be fair Japan was also hoping to unleash, you know a literal plague in American soil and wipe out as many men, women and children as possible Both sides prepared to do whatever was needed to end this war. And June or to win, I guess, rather. And June of 45, General Curtis, because if they're prepared to do whatever to end it, you know, here he could have surrendered. But in June of 45, General Curtis Lemmey estimates that the 20th Air Force will finish destroying the 60 most important cities in Japan long before January.

Starting point is 01:47:01 Now they're saying they're going to be reduced these things or reduce these things to rubble by October 1st. On the 10th of June, the 509th composite group, the crews arrive on Tinian Island with their modified B-29s, capable of carrying those big atomic payloads. Four days later, General Groves submits the target selections to General George Marshall, one of the authors of Operation Overlord, the Battle of Normandy, and one of the most decorated military leaders in American history Two days later on the 16th of June the scientific panel of the interim committee reports that it sees no Acceptable alternative to the use of the atomic bombs on Japan They conclude that if Japan surrenders because of the blast many less civilian and military personnel will die than in any alternative scenario In early July final preparations began the New Mexico test site for the first atomic bomb

Starting point is 01:47:47 test code named Trinity. The data set for July 16th. July 11th, the actual assembly of gadget, the first atomic bomb begins. This project years on making has almost made it to the first real test. Tension is high. This doesn't work. This entire project has been a complete waste of time and money for the war effort between July and 12th and 13th of Platonium Core, the gadget components leave Los Alamos for the test site separately. Assembly of gadget begins at 1,300 hours in July

Starting point is 01:48:14 13th. Assembly of gadget explosive lens, uranium reflector, Platonium Core completed at ground zero at 1,745 hours. The next day gadget is hoisted to the top of a hundred foot test tower. The detonators are installed connected. Final test preparations begin. Meanwhile, little boy bomb units accompanied by the U-235 projectile are shipped at a San Francisco on the USS Indianapolis for Tinian Island. On the 16th of July, 5.29am is part of the Trinity test, gadget is detonated near Alamagordo, New Mexico. It's the first atomic explosion in history, and it was bigger than expected. That special steel tower, that steel contraption, they meant to, in case the bomb didn't work,

Starting point is 01:48:57 to keep all the uranium and everything contained. That thing that was custom built to contain the blast jumbo, fucking eviscerated. It vaporizes it. You can find pictures of the mushroom cloud this blast created online. The blast was not only successful, it was more successful than anyone had imagined. Ralph Carlisle Smith, the assistant director of the Los Alamos facility, watching from a nearby hill, loaded with a blast, I was staring straight ahead with my open left eye, covered by a welder's glass, and my right eye remaining open and uncovered. Suddenly, my right eye was blinded by a light

Starting point is 01:49:30 which appeared instantaneously all about without any buildup of intensity. My left eye could see the ball of fire start up like a tremendous bubble or knob like mushroom. I dropped the glass for my left eye almost immediately and watched the light climb upward. The light intensity fell rapidly, hence did not blind my left eye, but it was still amazingly bright. It turned yellow, then red, and then a beautiful purple. At first, it had a translucent character, but shortly turned into a tinted or colored white smoke appearance.

Starting point is 01:49:59 The ball of fire seemed to rise in something of a toadstool effect. Later the column proceeded as a cylinder of white smoke. It seemed to move pondrously. A hole was punched through the clouds, but two fog rings appeared well above the white smoke column. There was a spontaneous cheer from the observers. Dr. Von Newman said that was at least 5,000 tons and probably a lot more. William Lawrence of the New York Times, who have been transferred to Los Alamos in early 45 by General Groves to document everything, wrote, allowed cry filled the air. The little groups that previously had stood

Starting point is 01:50:33 rooted to the earth like desert plants broke into dance, the rhythm of primitive men dancing at one of the fire festivals for the coming of spring. They did it. They actually fucking did it. The next age, July 17th, the Potsdam conference, a president, Harry Truman, British prime minister, Winston Churchill, and Soviet premier Joseph Stalin begins. The goals of the conference were to establish post-war

Starting point is 01:50:53 order in Europe, peace treaty issues, counter the effects of the war, decide how to administer a defeated Germany. On July 19th, Oppenheimer suggested General Groves that the U-235 from Little Boy be reworked into uranium pletonium composite cores From making more implosion bombs For more implosion bombs could be made from Little Boy's pit Groves rejects the idea since it would delay combat use he feels that the bombs will be dropping are gonna be powerful enough And he'll be right The very next day the 509th composite group begins flying practice missions over Japan in preparation for the drops

Starting point is 01:51:23 On the 23rd of July US Secretary of War Henry Stimson in Potstan from meetings between President Truman and Stalin receives the current target list. In order of choice, it is Hiroshima, Kokura, and Niigata. He also receives an estimate of atomic bomb availability. Little boys should be ready for use on August 6th. And Nagasaki, none that list. We'll see that in the second and second bomb called fat man is going to be ready

Starting point is 01:51:48 uh... august twenty fourth three more bombs will be available in september with more more common each month reaching seven or more in December and again with the names of fat boy not like a fire don't take in for no not a limiter now fat boy also crazed in numerous additional atomic bombs are being lined up for more drops on july twenty fourth president true Truman discloses the existence of the atomic bomb, Stalin, who had known about it for a long time because of his spice, but he reported the act surprised,

Starting point is 01:52:12 you know? Really love big skirt of bombs. That's not an idea. It was a fact. I had no idea. You had a fat boy in Princess Party. Hey, wait a minute, Star. How do you know that one of the names was fat boy?

Starting point is 01:52:21 I never said that. Also, other ones not called Princess Party. That's a silly name for a very scary bomb. Oh, what's kind of tough name you give it in? We're called a skullfucker, okay? Is that tough enough for you? No, you're not. You call it little boy.

Starting point is 01:52:37 I know everything. We have spies everywhere. My cousin been cutting her hair for two years now. No dentists, my old panel teacher. I used to date your wife in high school. I know everything. Okay, also on July 24th, General Groves drafts the directive authorized

Starting point is 01:52:50 and used to the atomic bombs as soon as the bomb is ready and whether permits. It's fucking full green light, all systems go. Now, let's the following targets in order of priority. Hiroshima, Kokura, Nikata, Nannagasaki, the directive constitutes final authorization for atomic attack, no further orders are needed. On July 26, President Truman issues the pot-stam declaration warning

Starting point is 01:53:09 Japan of prompt and utter destruction. If it doesn't surrender, you know, unconditionally right now. This is Japan's last chance to save itself from atomic obliteration. The declaration demands a complete disarmament of Japan's military. Get rid of Japan's army, occupation of certain areas of Japan by US military, and Emperor Hero Hido has to step the fuck off the throne. A responsible government needs to be set up in his place. Hero Hido rejects the offer, not a fan. Willing to sacrifice millions more of his own people to foolishly cling to his reign for a few more months.

Starting point is 01:53:41 Japan now employs a strategy of Ketsugo. The strategy is based on trying to fight one last decisive battle intended to inflict so many casualties on a war-weary America. The America will then relax its demands for unconditional surrender and negotiate a piece much more favorable to post-war Japan. When we're the military doesn't have to disband, the US doesn't get to build based on its soil and the emperor continues to be in charge. Also in the 26th, USS Indianapolis delivers little boy bomb units and the U-235 projectile to Tinian Island. Five C-54 transport planes

Starting point is 01:54:15 leave Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico with little boy U-235 target. It's target. It's final component as well as the fat man's platonium core and it's initiator. All the pieces are going to be there. The assembly of little boys completed on July 31st is ready for use as projected on the following day, August 1st. They have done it. It's all come together from all these places. Then on August 1st, a typhoon approaching Japan postpones the drop.

Starting point is 01:54:40 Several days are required for the weather to clear. Only time in history, people should have been thankful to be beaten around by a fucking typhoon. The second day of August, the fat man bomb case arrives in Tinian. The fat man assembly begins the bombing date set for August 11th. August 4th, 1945, Lieutenant Colonel Tibbetz briefs the 509th composite group about the impending attack. He reveals to have manually dropping immensely powerful bombs. He does not say exactly what their, you know, does not let them know their atomic on august fifth little boy is loaded

Starting point is 01:55:08 onto a b 59 super fortress bomber ready to go zero hundred hours on august six the final briefing occurs for the dropping of little boy the target choices here is she ma here is she ma's a manufacturing center of some three hundred fifty thousand people roughly five hundred miles from Tokyo lieutenant colonel tbets is the pilot. Robert Lewis is the co-pilot. The B-59, B-29 is named the Inola Gay after Tibbets' mother. 245 Inola Gay begins takeoff roll. 730, the bomb is armed. 850, flying at 31,000 feet, Inola Gay crosses Shikoku, do east of Hiroshima. Bombing conditions are good. The aim point easily visible no opposition is encountered. At 915 and 17 seconds little boy is released at 31,060 feet. 45 seconds later it kills more people

Starting point is 01:55:56 than any other single weapon by far in the history of the world. Little boy explodes in an altitude of 1850 feet, 550 feet from the aim point, the Aoe bridge, with the yield of 12.5 to 18 kilotons of TNT. The explosion wipes out 90% of the city's structures, 90% and immediately kills 80,000 people, roughly 80,000 people. Well, if we 50,000 more, we'll die in just the next few days from massive levels of radiation and or they'll die, you know, due to burns. People in the initial blast radius crushed in their homes in the buildings in which they

Starting point is 01:56:34 were working. Their skeletons would be seen in debris and ashes from almost 1500 meters around the center of the blast. Large numbers of the population walked for considerable distance after the detonation before collapsing and dying in the road. More people developed vomiting, bloody and watery diarrhea associated with extreme weakness. Dying in the first and second weeks after the bomb has dropped. Desk from internal injuries and from burns are common.

Starting point is 01:56:56 Either the heat from the fire is infrared radiation from the detonation's causes, burns, or causing burns, you know, burning many people badly, leaving them vulnerable to horrible infections. After a low without peak mortality from any special causes, deaths began to occur from purpra, often associated with epilepsy or epilation, anemia, a yellow coloration of the skin, so-called bone marrow syndrome, manifested by a low white blood cell count, almost complete absence of platelets necessary to prevent bleeding. Probably at its maximum mortality level between the fourth and six weeks after the bombs drop. So man, just death, death, death.

Starting point is 01:57:31 Hero Hito, give it another chance of surrender after the bomb is dropped. He again refuses. This is fucking madness. Dude, you lost. They're obliterating your country. Wave the white flag. The next day, August 7th, in the absence of an immediate surrender, a crash effort begins to print and distribute millions of leaflets to major Japanese cities, warning of future atomic attacks. This is going to happen to you too. Also the date for dropping fat man has moved up to August 10th, then to August 9th to avoid projected bad weather.

Starting point is 01:58:01 On August 8th, the Japanese ambassador to the Soviet Union tries to persuade the Soviets to mediate a surrender, you know, more favorable surrender negotiations. Soviet foreign minister Molotov cancels the meeting, then having never declared war against Japan this entire time, announces that the Soviet Union is now at war with Japan. No one is on Japan's side anymore. They just need to surrender, but they still refuse. At 2200 hours on the eight fat man has loaded onto a B29 called box car, named after its original pilot, Captain Frederick C. Bach. Box car is now on permanent displayed the National Museum of the United States Air Force. Dayton, Ohio, next to a replica of fat man, August 9, 347. Box car takes off from tinion, the target of choice is the Cacura Arsenal, not Nagasaki.

Starting point is 01:58:45 Nagasaki was never the primary target. Major Charles Sweeney's is pilot, first lieutenant Charles Donald Albury is his co-pilot. Soon after takeoff, Sweeney discovers that the fuel system will not pump from the 600 gallon reserve tank. At 1044, Boxcar arrives at Cacura but finds it covered by haze. The aim point cannot be seen. Flack and fighters appear, forcing the plane to stop searching for it.

Starting point is 01:59:08 Sweeney turns towards Nagasaki, the only secondary target in range. Didn't know this before this suck. Nagasaki man, not supposed to be bombed that day. All the people about to die died because an unexpected run in with some Japanese fighter planes and some fuel problems.

Starting point is 01:59:21 Had that not happened, all those people would have lived, others in Kukura would have died. Upon arriving in Nagasaki, Boxcar has enough fuel for only one pass over the city, even with an emergency landing in Okinawa. Nagasaki's cover with clouds, but one gap allows a drop several miles from the intended aim point at 1102 Nagasaki time. Fatman explodes at 9,950 feet near the perimeter of this coastal city of roughly 250,000 people scoring a direct hit on the Mitsubishi steel and arm works.

Starting point is 01:59:50 Yeal does 19 to 23 kilotons, estimated death toll for the second attack, 75,000 people, almost all civilians. The next day August 10th, incredibly Japanese military leaders still haven't surrendered. Emperor Hito demands that surrender be accepted provided. Of course that he allows that he's allowed to retain his position as emperor. General Groze reports that the second plutonium core will be ready for shipment on August 12 or 13th. Another bombing run possible on August 17 or 18th.

Starting point is 02:00:19 President Truman orders a halt to further atomic bombing until more orders are issued. The next day, President Truman and Secretary secretary state burns reply with an amended form of the potstamp decree that acknowledges the emperor but refuses to guarantee his position you know just yet sure here he'll be fucking think about it but in case you somehow missed the fact the we just fucking no two of your cities and to oblivion

Starting point is 02:00:41 and you are obviously capable of you know and robbizy capable of leveling the rest of your country you're not exactly in a prime position to negotiate The next day president Truman Excuse me orders that an area fire bombing be resume incredibly Japan not done being bombed yet I didn't know that either there was more bombing on the on the 14th over a thousand bombers hit the Japanese mainland, the largest raid in the Pacific theater. Part of the raid involves 315 bombardment wing flying, a, a, a, provide involved the 315 bombardment wing, flying 3,000, 800 miles to destroy the Nippon oil company refinery,

Starting point is 02:01:20 the longest bombing rate of the war. The refinery produced 67% of the nation's oil. The mission was a success completely destroyed the refinery surrounding ports. Also on the 14th, following leaflet bombing of Tokyo with surrender terms, hero Hito finally surrenders. At 249 local time, PM, Japanese news agencies announced a surrender.

Starting point is 02:01:39 A few more aerial raids would still take place over the next hour, so Pilots didn't get the message yet that the war was over. A 19 year old kid named Phil Schlomburg would be the last US military man to die in combat in World War II. Captain Jerry Yellen, an American fighter pilot, had been ordered on the 13th to fly in a combat mission on the 14th over the Japanese city of Nagoya, where his 16 planes squadron would strike targets from the air.

Starting point is 02:02:03 As his military unit was briefed on his assignment, Yellen's wingman, a 19 year old named Phil Schlomburg, leaned over and told Yellen he had an inexplicable feeling he was going to die. If he go in this mission, I'm not coming back, Yellen recalled his friend, saying, decades later. Despite those doubts, no matter how close to the end of the war,

Starting point is 02:02:19 how close the end of the war seemed, Schlomburg refused to abandon the mission, packed his clothes, paid his debts, wrote to his family, yelling to Old Slomberg to fly alongside the wing of his P-51 Mustang fighter plane. He gave Slomberg a thumbs up, Slomberg returned the gesture, gesture, then he entered the clouds. Eight hours later, Yellen landed back on EOG, exited his cockpit, and he learned he had

Starting point is 02:02:40 just flown the final combat mission of World War II. The surrender had been announced three hours before the planes would descend over Japanese land to begin striking targets, but word never reached them. They listened for the code word of Utah to abort the mission, but the command never came. Yellen saw Schlomburg's plane disappear into a cloud bank, and then he was never seen again. No radio call, no visual fire, no siding of Japanese planes. And again, War is Hell, but at least this one was finally over. The Manhattan Project had brought the war to a close and also kicked off a new war, the

Starting point is 02:03:11 Cold War. On the 2nd of September, Japanese officials signed the formal Japanese instrument of surrender on board USS Missouri. On October 16th, Oppenheimer resigns as director of the Los Alamos Laboratory, accepting a post at Caltech. The next day on the 17th, Norris Bradbury takes over as director for the Los Alamos Laboratory. Manhattan Project may have ended, but, you know, the... Nuclear weapons development has just begun. On January 24th, 1946, United Nations Atomic Energy Commission has been established.

Starting point is 02:03:39 On August 1st, 1946, President Truman Science, the Atomic Energy Act, this establishes the atomic, the atomic, the atomic energy commission, which assumes responsibility for all Manhattan, engineering, district, properties. And that takes us out of today's time suck timeline. Good job, soldier. You've made it back. Barely. All right, now let's talk a little bit about the new world we live in. A nuclear world. You know, at the beginning with a Manhattan project, before we talk about the morality of

Starting point is 02:04:18 dropping those two atomic bombs, Oppenheimer warned President Truman after a fat man, a little boy, we dropped that soon many other countries would also have these weapons. He was right. Since Hiroshima and Nagasaki, eight sovereign states have publicly announced the successful detonations of nuclear weapons. Five of these nations are considered to be, you know, nuclear weapons states under the terms of the Treaty of the Non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. In order of acquisition, these are of course the US, then Russia, then the United Kingdom,

Starting point is 02:04:47 France, and then China. Since the non-proliferation treaty in 1970, when basically the countries I just mentioned told the rest of the world, hey guys, nobody else gets to have nukes, K. We're not done giving up ours because we don't want to, but the rest of you fuckers don't get any because we don't trust you to be smart enough to not build the world up Okay, you fucking dummies. Is that cool? Is that cool if we asked the rest of the world to sit at the kiddies table when it comes new Nooks now, well, you don't like it, you know fucking suck our dicks We have it and you don't so take that that wasn't the tone to treat not exactly, but it was a basic message And not surprisingly other nations, you know, I've went on to develop their own nukes with an attitude of like hey

Starting point is 02:05:22 We didn't know we didn't sign that treaty dicks If you'll recall, you know, none of you guys are our moms. So you don't get to tell us what to do. Uh, these, the states, the three states that were not parties to that tree that have conducted overt nuclear, uh, that fucking fucking, uh, overt, uh, overt nuclear tests are namely India, Pakistan and North Korea. North Korea had been a party to the non-proliferation treaty, but then withdrew in 2003. And there may be a ninth nuclear nation Israel. They don't officially acknowledge it, but they're thought to have somewhere between 75 and 40 nukes. States that have formally possessed, you know, nukes or South Africa, who developed some nukes, but then disassembled

Starting point is 02:06:00 their arsenal before joining the non-proliferation treaty and the former Soviet Union republics of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. There have been whispering over the years that Iran has nukes, or at least has been trying to develop them, but no proof. Most intelligence analysts at least publicly don't seem to think they have them. More than 90% of the world's 13,865 nukes, according to one estimator owned by Russia in the US as of early 2019 According to several sources Russia has 6490 bombs US has 6185 bombs The remainder being estimates that France has 300 China 290 the UK with 200 Pakistan with 160 India with 140 Israel with who knows how many and North Korea and estimated 30 bombs Other estimates have the total number of nuclear warheads worldwide to be over 20,000, enough

Starting point is 02:06:50 to completely obliterate the earth. And not just in a nuclear fallout permanent winter kind of way, in a, you know, in every single urban area on earth has been utterly fucking obliterated kind of way. More than 2,000 nukes, you know, explosions have occurred since the mid-40s. These numbers are approximate. Some test results have been disputed with the US alone has had over 1,000 tests by official count. 219 atmospheric tests as defined by the comprehensive, you know, nuclear test band treaty of 1996. The explosive power of nukes has, you know, dramatically increased also in recent years.

Starting point is 02:07:26 We'll touch that in a moment. First, let's look at the scientific benefits of the Manhattan Project. I'm not gonna push that button anymore. I'm sick of it. I'm just gonna say whatever fucking word I wanna say that sounds like nuclear. I'm gonna pronounce it like that

Starting point is 02:07:37 through my fucking life. So suck it. But yeah, not all bad news is bad when it comes to nuclear energy. We learn that back in the Chernobyl suck. A whole bunch of different groups, uh, you know, or different ground breaking state of the art technologies have come from the making of those first two atomic bombs. Obviously, one of the main benefits is nuclear power.

Starting point is 02:07:55 Nuclear power. It has had its ups and downs, but there is no question that the technology of nuclear power is amazing as we talked about in the Chernobyl suck. It's the current leading answer to environmental worries about carbon since nuclear power doesn't produce greenhouse gases, while still producing more than enough reliable power for modern society to thrive. And since solar and wind and water generated power systems just don't give us enough juice to power all our goodies, what we need right now.

Starting point is 02:08:20 There is of course a threat of a nuclear meltdown. Another Fukushima or Chernobyl, but modern plants, you know, we think of learn for the mistakes of other plants, other meltdowns. And the meltdowns haven't been as catastrophic as some have made them out to be. You know, Chernobyl melted down in 1996, not that long ago. And there's now more wildlife living in the woods around that plant than there was before the meltdown and they're not mutants. As we learn a while back, they're not running around with three heads, six eyes, no spider rabbit combos or anything insane.

Starting point is 02:08:49 Fish and ponds and waterways and the disaster zone, not riddled with tumors. I'm trying to make light of it, but it's also just not true to think that if there was another reactor meltdown, a portion of the world is just gonna look like the walking dead for thousands of years. There's also this to consider

Starting point is 02:09:04 when weighing the positives and negatives of, you know, nuke power. While we each, you know, use on average 2.5 gallons of crude oil per day, which is about 22 barrels of oil a year, about 1,760 barrels in 80 year lifetime, the amount of nuclear waste generated per person fits into one coat can. Beyond energy, the splitting of the atom has led to many other advancements, such as with medical technology, for medical imaging to diagnose, diagnosis and treatments, including some kinds of cancer, even stem cell research, nuclear technology

Starting point is 02:09:33 makes it possible. Also, nuclear chemistry and physics has come a long way in the students of these fields today owe a lot to those wizards of the 30 and 40s. All right, so to sum it up, Hitler scientists, messed around with the idea of splitting the atom, using the enemies, using this incredible amount of energy to help the Nazis take over the world, and that sparked the greatest conspiracy in American history, if not in world history. Hundreds of thousands of people, including almost every A-Ged that could operate a calculator, were brought on to make sure Hitler wasn't the first to get that technology. Then Hitler killed himself before the Manhattan Project reached his goal or escaped into the hollow earth or made it to the

Starting point is 02:10:08 moon where he lives as some kind of Nazi reptilian hybrid. So many conspiracies and after Hitler died, we continued to develop and then dropped the big bombs and people have questioned the morality of that decision ever since. So was it justified to do that? In fact, that's the big question with the Manhattan Project. Well, I can't say it was certainty. No, it depends on how you view what's okay to do in war. If you take the position that you're fighting an enemy who doesn't care about killing your civilians and is aggressively trying to develop biological weapons, that if successful, you could kill millions and millions of your people, and you know that killing a few hundred thousand of that nation's citizens will put an end to fighting that otherwise will continue for

Starting point is 02:10:43 months and lead to more overall death. And yeah, viewed from that lens, it is absolutely justified. However, if you believe that you should not base your military actions on what your enemy is willing to do or is trying to do, and that specifically targeting civilians or at least not caring at all about collateral damage, is never justified, well, then of course, it was not justified. Now if you are of the mindset that it was not justified for sure, hear these numbers and see if you rethink your position.

Starting point is 02:11:10 There was a study done for Secretary of War Henry Stimmson staff by William Shockley. And it estimated that invading Japan in Operation Downfall that scenario we talked about earlier would have led to 1.7 to 4 million American casualties including 400 to 800,000 fatalities. And maybe even more importantly, for the morality argument, it would have led to five to 10 million Japanese fatalities, the majority of those being civilian casualties.

Starting point is 02:11:41 Five to 10 million, you know million Japanese civilians dead. All of that, versus what happened with Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I mean, what have you truly believed those were the only two possible outcomes, which very well may have been true by the way, then what do you do? Do you drop the bombs and kill roughly 200,000 Japanese or do you not drop the bombs and very, very likely kill four to eight million Japanese and also 400 to 800,000 American soldiers. In that situation, I think it's pretty clear that you dropped the bombs. Reflecting on the decision to bomb here is Shima Nagasaki months after the bombing, the man in charge of it all, Leslie Groves, you know, then he said, we will be misguided in our intentions

Starting point is 02:12:26 if we point at one single thing and say that it will prevent war. Unless, of course, that thing happens to be the will, the determination and the resolve of people everywhere that nations will never again clash on the battlefield. And I interpret him, you know, that is him saying, yeah, it was terrible what we happened or what happened because war is fucking terrible. If you't want terrible things like atomic bombs being dropped on cities

Starting point is 02:12:49 then don't have war you know work hard to prevent war uh... up and hammer you know after after all over uh... he he strongly opposed further you know continued kind of nuclear development after the war he took steps prevent the continued construction of more and more powerful bombs you know he began working with the u.s. he took steps to prevent the continued construction of more and more powerful bombs. He began working with the US Atomic Energy Commission to control the use of nuclear weapons. In 1949 when Truman approached the Commission about creating a hydrogen bomb, Oppenheimer refused. And then he lost his job due to refusing. He was labeled a communist sympathizer via McCarthyism and was blacklisted from other similar scientific work. And his career never recovered.

Starting point is 02:13:25 He was persecuted for his opposition to continued nuclear advances in weaponry until his death in 1967. Time now for top five takeaways. Number one, this is quite the conspiracy. So many people had to keep quiet about this super expensive and possible endeavor to be accomplished. And they did. I must admit, this does add some credence to conspiracy theorist claims about the government's

Starting point is 02:13:52 ability to hide a huge operation. I don't think they're hiding reptilians, you know, but I guess in theory, they could maybe also pull that off. Maybe. Number two, Robert Oppertheimer, Robert Oppenheimer, and General Leslie Groves were the two major minds behind the bomb. Both were geniuses in their fields, Oppenheimer in theoretical physics and Groves in the organization of people and resources.

Starting point is 02:14:15 Number three, the uranium committee were the brains behind the Manhattan Project. Most of the decisions were made by this group of super nerds who both brought the world to the brink of destruction and also accomplished the impossible. Number four, nuclear technology has brought us a myriad of new technologies that makes our world better. Key among them is nuclear power. There is nothing like it with zero carbon emissions, increased safety at least in new plants, better waste disposal, and recycling methods, and an unprecedented amount of energy

Starting point is 02:14:42 creation that may be part of the answer to our planet's desire to end burning fossil fuels. And number five, new info. Atomic secrets stolen from the Nazis may have helped bring the Manhattan Project to completion. Early in the war, the concern that the Germans would build the atomic bomb before the Americans was real. In 1938, German scientists discovered nuclear fission.

Starting point is 02:15:02 The Germans had even organized a special scientific unit headed by quantum physicist Werner Karl Heisenberg to develop an atomic weapon, a massing stockpiles of uranium. To learn just how far the Germans were, the Americans organized a covert special ops unit in 1943 tasked with discovering Nazi nuclear secrets and capturing their top scientists. Code named, also submission, nicknamed Lightning A, the unit consisted of a small force of scientists and counterintelligence troops headed by Colonel Boris T. Pash, a counterintelligence officer who had run security for America's own nuclear weapons efforts,

Starting point is 02:15:36 the Manhattan Project, Pash had uncovered a ring of communist spies trying to steal US nuclear secrets. Working ahead of advancing Allied armies, Lightning A scoured the countryside looking for Nazi labs. In a cave, an actual cave, not far from a high-gluck, Colonel Pash found the prize, a Nazi nuclear laboratory, complete with a test reactor.

Starting point is 02:15:55 The Americans began dismantling the next day and then destroyed the site. Then on April 24th, Pasha's team made another major find. A textile milling surrounding buildings had been converted into a laboratory for German nuclear research efforts. They rounded up 25 scientists, through interrogations they learned the German research files had not been destroyed. As a scientist initially claimed,

Starting point is 02:16:15 but were sealed inside a watertight drum they had sunk into a cesspool, cesspool. They then retrieved those files and who knows how much that info helped. American scientists complete building their bombs as fast as they did Thanks, Hitler before America be you you may have helped America beat the Japanese and end the war for everybody That's it the Manhattan Project has been sucked and now will probably be a while before you know I ever hit this button again nuclear Thanks to the time-soaked team thanks to the Queen of the suck Lindsey Cummins high-preces harmony belly camp

Starting point is 02:16:53 Reverend Dr. Joe H.C. Paisley thanks to the Biddle-Lixer app design crew thanks to you listener for letting us keep doing this week after week Thanks also to Axis apparel big thanks to the script keeper and week after week. Thanks also to Axis apparel. Big thanks to the script keeper. And, uh, and if you want to meet more time suckers, want to meet more of the cult of the curious, get out there and join the private Facebook group for more social interaction than that. Use the app to link over to the time suck discord group link for both in the episode description. Next week in honor of veterans day, the world's most lethal sniper Finland's white white death, Simo Heia, or Heia. Yeah, Simo Heia. Oh, that's gonna be another fun word week.

Starting point is 02:17:30 Why can't all suck, just have people name Bob at them. I have so much respect, not just for America's veterans, but for meat sacks worldwide, who have put their lives in the line to defend their homelands, fighting Russians trying to invade Finland. This dude took down a record 542 sniper kills without the aid of a scope. Plus may have managed to gun down several hundred more enemies with the submachine gun to round out his kill count to about 800 and this all happened in just months, roughly a hundred days. And he was humble as shit about it and he lived a long life afterwards. We look

Starting point is 02:17:59 at a military hero, a guy who really, really helped his country in a, you know, in a time of need next week before dipping back into some true crime. I'm excited. It's been a while. It's been forever since we've done some true crime. We're going to do that for a few weeks after that. And right now we're going to dig into today's time sucker updates.

Starting point is 02:18:24 Time sucker Colin Evans asked a great question. thought it was very relevant to today's suck. Colin wrote, Dear Master Sucker of Too Many Titles, names to remember. Huge fan by the way, I've been listening to Since I was 14, I'm 25 now, so thank you for the literally years of laughter. Now to my point, I was listening to a true crime episode, I don't remember which one right off hand, either John Bonet Ramsey or the confession killers. When you stated that you hated all serial killers, I believe that you hate all serial killers

Starting point is 02:18:50 to this point in life. However, what if somebody was a serial murderer exclusively to pedophiles on rapists? I thought of this as I was on a 20 hour drive, and at first I agreed with you. Then I thought brought a smile to my face. So what are your thoughts on this? Dude, that's a great question, Colin. I mean, you're right that thought brought a smile to my face. So what are your thoughts on this? Dude, that's a great question, Colin.

Starting point is 02:19:08 I mean, you're right. You know what, you're right. If Dexter was real, for example, then I wouldn't hate all serial killers. I brought up the nature of evil earlier in black and white thinking. And I think it's easy to say stuff like, oh, you know, all serial killers are terrible. All serial killing is bad. But with the right hypothetical situation, you know, hypothetical than it, you know, that wouldn't be true. If someone went around killing

Starting point is 02:19:29 only level three sex offenders with multiple convictions under their belts, people we know are guilty based on numerous convictions for heinous crimes, the worst of the worst, will I look down on somebody killing them? Fuck no. I would see that person as a true hero. So yeah, so I guess I'm open to really being a huge fan truly of a serial killer. Thanks for making me think about that in a different way. Glad you're still long for the laugh ride all these years after finding me. A quick shout out request from awesome sucker Cliff, who sent an email to Bojangles at time suckpodgast.com with the subject title of Amazon hire up aging rapidly and possessed

Starting point is 02:20:04 by clowns. Cliff writes, Dear Dan sucker, come and suck in the suck master suck. The subject line isn't too far from the truth. I'll be brief. My brother Adam is an avid listener in jugalow. The successful kind, very anti-heroine. I'm pretty sure the list in the time, suck and scared of death are the only things keeping him from swirving into a bridge and bankman on his drive to and from work at amazon.com. His birthday is on

Starting point is 02:20:26 November 6th and I know he'd filled the back of his pants with joy. If you could show him some love your team is amazing. We love you. Keep the knowledge vortex sucking cliff. Well, hail, Nimrock cliff and fucking happy birthday Adam. Don't drive into a bridge and bankman. And I hope you do feel the back of your pants with joy. Send us a pick of what that looks like. Does it look like regular poop or is it like way different? Put some push-ups show-biz in your drawers. Heavy and important message now. Coming in from Time Sucker Chris,

Starting point is 02:20:54 I'll leave Chris's last name out of this. Chris wrote insane, hey, Dan in Time Sucker team, I wanna start by apologizing for the heavy nature of this email. But I feel like I needed to share this with you. A few months back. I was at work and received an electric shock. As a result, I lost 20% of the strength on the right side of my body

Starting point is 02:21:11 and was told I had the cognitive function of an 80-year-old. I just turned 30. Over the last three months, I have worked so hard to get back to where I was prior to the injury. For the most part, I have recovered really well. I still struggle with fatigue and at times brain fog, but there has been a lot of progress. Three weeks ago, I had my first shift back at work.

Starting point is 02:21:28 And when I walked through the door for the first time in three months, I was greeted with a cold shoulder. None of the people I counted on as friends would even speak to me. I thought they must have just been under the pump as his normal to time of year, but as the day went on, the mocking and insult started. Normally, I have a pretty thick skin.

Starting point is 02:21:43 But for the last three weeks, while at work, I've been subjected to the same thing day after day. Normally, I have a pretty thick skin. Well, for the last three weeks, while it worked, I've been subjected to the same thing day after day. Yesterday, I finally had it, had it. After three months of constantly feeling like shit from a workplace injury, coming back to be treated like garbage, I broke down. I decided that I was going to get into my car, driving to the woods and quietly kill myself.

Starting point is 02:21:59 I started my car, started driving. My phone connected to the audio in my car, and your suck on the church of Satan came on. For the first time in two months I smiled. That smile turned to laughter, not laughter turned to the first happy tears I shed since my wedding day. I don't know if you will ever see this email, but when I was down and out, you guys lived to be back up, so thank you. As I said before, sorry for the heavy nature, but I will always be in your debt for literally saving my life. We'll holy shit, Chris. I would have never expected that it that is suck on the Church of Satan of all topics.

Starting point is 02:22:28 Would have that effect or that the colliope music would have that effect, but maybe maybe it makes people really happy. I'm glad I'm glad that this terrible, terrible music could lift your spirits. It's getting getting cotton candy out here to cheer Chris up. And all seriousness, obviously saw this message. So glad you sent it. So glad you're doing better. I'm gonna fuck your coworkers.

Starting point is 02:22:51 I hope you use the strength that you're gaining through working on your recovery. Keep working on it like you're working on push past these fucking ass clowns. Find a better job working with people who aren't dick fucks. You sound like a really good dude. Nothing to be sorry about in your email at all. You sound like you know deep down your sensitive like I am.

Starting point is 02:23:07 And the world needs more sensitive people. I really believed it. People who are sensitive and not just rude, heartless fucks. There's already too many of those people out there. So keep on sucking, Chris, for real. Don't let those assholes take a good dude down. Cult of the curious loves you.

Starting point is 02:23:21 Hail fucking Nimrod. And finally a message from Timesucker Aaron B that just made me laugh. I love how some listeners are conservative Mormons who really don't curse past. Oh my heck. I love how others are as foul mouth as myself. Team meets sack man. Lot of diversity. Every color, every type of gender configuration, LGBTQ conservative liberal. Just a big island. The best misfit toys. Everyone but mean spirited, aggressively ignorant assholes welcome.

Starting point is 02:23:46 Here's Aaron's message. Aaron wrote, I love that the message you read in the time-stuck-or-update sometimes began with, hey fucker, or what's up, shitbag, or yo-asshole. This is a place I can truly feel at home with my awful mouth, which only seems to compound his awfulness after 17 years of being in the tattoo industry. We have three lips if you catch my drift. Just wanted to drop a line and let you know how much I enjoy the podcast.

Starting point is 02:24:09 I found time suck after I read a recommendation on Reddit. Cool, after Googling funny history podcast. And while this is nothing fucking like a funny history podcast, it all got damn it. Good job to you and all your staff. The high priest is queen of the suck, Reverend Watts is face. Scripped, keep away from you dude.

Starting point is 02:24:24 Bojangles and Nimrod, Lucifer, any can suck my non-existent left testicle for interfering in my goddamn life for so long It's been a challenging year for me and my families our oldest son has been recently diagnosed with a verifiable mental health disorder We give him love support and treatment that doesn't make unfortunate interruptions any easier to deal with Both my husband and I have missed work lost money had to pick the kid up from school and care facilities, daily come face to face with our own inadequacies as human beings. Try to build a balanced life with our daughter and are learning every day about what it means

Starting point is 02:24:53 to be intelligent, effective parents that are trying their best to give a challenging child the best future he can have. Thank you for giving me something well thought and interesting to listen to in my off time. Maybe someday I can share your collective wisdom with both my kids, but until then, I have to listen when they're away. My fucking garbage ass mouth is bad enough as it is and I don't need your stone in the mix. It's a little things in life. I think we cling to the most and thanks to every one of you ass hats, I have a little more to look forward to every day. I'm a bona fide space listener now. I love that

Starting point is 02:25:22 part of my support goes to such awesome charities. Also, I like to knit. And after finally admitting, I can't watch TV at knit at the same time. I realize I can at least list some shit. And like my fingers, you know, to noodle some sweet, sweet yarn to the sound of your voice. Perhaps someday I may knit the pattern for the Kothulu, cock sock. I have hiding in my stash. Well, listening to your ramble about some God for saking thing or another. Keep up the good work.

Starting point is 02:25:46 Thanks for not making me feel like I want to jump off a goddamn bridge. Hail Nimrod. Hail Good Boy Bojangles. Ostelezaunya, don't get any on you. I love you, Aaron. I haven't fucking, you really made me laugh without email. Sometimes I need the laughter as well. On my favorite line, thanks to every one of you ass hats.

Starting point is 02:26:00 I have a little more forward, a little more to look forward to every day. So glad time's stuck as a place where you can be yourself. You know, unwind, feel like you're learning something. You know, feel like your listening to someone's not gonna judge you for how you talk, because, you know, I won't. I mean, I'd be ridiculous for me to judge anybody for that. It's already here you're having some family challenges, but it sounds like you're a kick-ass fucking parent who's rising to the occasion. And I'm gonna put this music on for the end, just because I love it. Keep doing your best for raising your kids as best you can

Starting point is 02:26:26 Keep knitting keep tattooing keep swearing a keep hot fucking sucking Hey Lucicina Thanks time suckers. I need a net. We all did That's all for today, meat sacks! They'll give fireball to the moon to themselves! Really terrible! Obviously in this weekend, keep on sucking! Ha ha ha ha!

Starting point is 02:26:54 Toss up! Toss up! No dentist, my old piano teacher. I used to date your wife in high school. I know everything!

Timesuck with Dan Cummins - 164 - The Manhattan Project

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