War’s End

Some people got involved in the arms race during the beginning in World War II, when it was all about winning the war.  After Germany surrendered, defeating Japan was the most immediate concern, and all the efforts of America’s research and development were thrown into meeting that goal.  The widely-accepted view that the Allies were firmly on the side of good in the war confirmed for many of these individuals that any measures that hastened the end of the war were justified.  Although this is a conventional perspective, it can’t be dismissed as insignificant for our purposes.  Although it was not a universal motivation, there were certainly those who felt strongly that this was the case.  One of those people was Charles Sweeney, the pilot that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki.  Sweeney was very outspoken about the necessity of the bombing, and did not shy away from taking respnsibility for his actions.

Photo of the Nagasaki Bombing, Signed by Charles Sweeney