Nearly one year before, German scientists had observed that bombarding uranium atoms with neutrons caused them to split into smaller elements, releasing a tremendous amount of energy. Later that day he would be sworn in as Army chief of staff while German troops marched into Poland in a blitzkrieg that launched World War II. The letter signed by noted physicist Albert Einstein and delivered a month later, informed Roosevelt of the possibility of producing an enormously powerful bomb using a nuclear chain reaction in uranium.Īs Marshall hung up the phone, he told his drowsy wife, “Well, it’s come.” He dressed quickly and went to his office. on September 1, 1939, informed Marshall that German dive bombers had attacked Warsaw. Last but not least of his responsibilities was the production of the atomic bomb.Īn early morning phone call to General Marshall and a letter to President Franklin Roosevelt led to Marshall’s little known, nonetheless critical, role in the development and use of the atomic bomb. As Army Chief of Staff during World War II, he developed a close working relationship with Admiral Earnest King, Chief of Naval Operations worked with Congress and leaders of industry on funding and producing resources for the war and developed and implemented the successful strategy the Allies pursued in fighting the war. Marshall mobilized and equipped the Army and Air Force under a single command, serving as the primary conduit for information between the Army and the Air Force, as well as the president and secretary of war. He also earned acclaim as the master strategist of the Allied victory in World War II. Marshall is best known today as the architect of the plan for Europe’s recovery in the aftermath of World War II-the Marshall Plan. Marshall and the Atomic Bomb (Praeger, 2016) provides the first full narrative describing General Marshall’s crucial role in the first decade of nuclear weapons that included the Manhattan Project, the use of the atomic bomb on Japan, and their management during the early years of the Cold War.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |