The Prometheus bomb : the Manhattan Project and government in the dark / Neil J. Sullivan.

Author
Sullivan, Neil J., 1948- [Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
Lincoln : Potomac Books, an imprint of the University of Nebraska Press, 2016.
Description
1 online resource

Details

Subject(s)
Summary note
  • "The exploration of how key government officials were unaware of the implications of developing the first atomic bomb during World War II, leaving the lives of millions of Americans in the hands of a few brilliant scientists"-- Provided by publisher.
  • "During World War II, the lives of millions of Americans lay precariously in the hands of a few brilliant scientists who raced to develop the first weapon of mass destruction. Elected officials gave the scientists free rein in the Manhattan Project without understanding the complexities and dangers involved in splitting the atom. The Manhattan Project was the first example of a new type of choice for congressmen, presidents, and other government officials: life and death on a national scale. From that moment, our government began fashioning public policy for issues of scientific development, discoveries, and inventions that could secure or threaten our existence and our future. But those same men and women had no training in such fields, did not understand the ramifications of the research, and relied on incomplete information to form potentially life-changing decisions. Through the story of the Manhattan Project, Neil J. Sullivan asks by what criteria the people in charge at the time made such critical decisions. He also ponders how similar judgments are reached today with similar incomprehension from those at the top as our society dives down the potential rabbit hole of bioengineering, nanotechnology, and scientific developments yet to come"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliographic references
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Source of description
Print version record.
Contents
Cover; Title Page; Copyright Page; Contents; List of Illustrations; Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1. A Squash Court in Chicago; 2. FDR and the Einstein Letter; 3. A Bungled Start; 4. The President's Man and the Liberal State; 5. MAUD- Working with the British; 6. The German Bomb; 7. Secrets and Spies; 8. Congress Rebounds; 9. The Transition to Truman; 10. Hiroshima; 11. Science and Democracy; Notes; Bibliography; Index.
ISBN
  • 9781612348902 ((electronic bk.))
  • 1612348904 ((electronic bk.))
  • 9781612348926 ((electronic bk.))
  • 1612348920 ((electronic bk.))
OCLC
961117716
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