The myth that nuclear weapons keep us safe.

The Manhattan Project Myth http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2016-05-27/nuclear-myths-began-when-the-us-dropped-the-atomic-bombs-on-japan

America’s use of the atomic bomb started the dangerous narrative that nuclear weapons keep us safe.

By Erica Fein | May 27, 2016 Today, one of the world’s greatest concerns is the unconstrained advancement of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal. Yet, for the most part, the leaders of the eight other nuclear-armed states cling to their own weapons with the belief that the nuclear game of chicken – also known as deterrence – has worked.

The narrative that nuclear weapons are the “ultimate guarantors of security” is powerful and comforting for many. The flip side, that only luck has prevented World War III, is almost too horrible to contemplate.

Nuclear myths extend back to dawn of the atomic age. In 1945, very few people knew about America’s secret project to build the atomic bomb. The Manhattan Project’s purpose remained a mystery even to most of its hundreds of thousands of employees and members of Congress.

It is not surprising, therefore, that most Americans supported the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. War Secretary Henry Stimson quickly pronounced that this new weapon ended the war and saved 1 million American lives by averting an American invasion of Japan. Only later did details of the bombs’ destructive effects come to light – some 200,000 instant deaths, flattened cities and enormous suffering. But by then, the war-winning significance of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had seeped into the American psyche.

With the declassification of archival records, the official story is now debated by historians. Among other things, the 1946 United States Strategic Bombing Survey concluded, “even without the bombing attacks, air supremacy over Japan could have exerted sufficient pressure to bring about unconditional surrender and obviate the need for an invasion.”

Yet, 70 years later, whether the atomic bombings decisively ended the war or saved more total American or Japanese lives seems less important than the myth that their use perpetuated: nuclear weapons keep us safe.

Most of the roughly 15,000 nuclear weapons on the planet today are hundreds of times more powerful than those dropped on Japan. That North Korea has them reminds us that they pose an unacceptable threat to humanity.

President Harry Truman had the opportunity to try to control the spread of nuclear weapons through international agreements. Instead, he doubled-down and agreed to the development of the H-bomb, which helped to spawn the arms race.

American leadership in ending the nuclear threat is no less of an imperative today. President Barack Obama understands this and deserves credit for negotiating a modest arms reduction treaty with Russia, raising the profile of nuclear terrorism prevention, and negotiating a historic agreement that would prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. However, as the president has admitted, his agenda is unfinished.

Before he leaves office, Obama can do more to head-off the possibility of renewed global nuclear competition. For example, America is planning to upgrade its entire arsenal of land, air and sea-delivered nuclear weapons at an estimated cost of nearly half a trillion dollars. Doing so would maintain excess force levels for decades to come. If Obama takes a step to reverse these unnecessary plans, such as canceling the new nuclear-armed cruise missile, he may not change many minds overnight, least of all those of our adversaries. Nonetheless, any action to lessen the significance of nuclear weapons would help lay bare their mythical power – a step in the right direction.

May 28, 2016 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general

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