One Man’s Decision
President Franklin Roosevelt passed away on April 12, 1945, just weeks before the end of World War II in Europe, leaving his Vice President, Harry Truman, to gather the reins of the presidency and steer a reeling nation through what promised to be several tumultuous months. The Allies were advancing on Berlin, but victory wasn’t yet a given. On top of that, the war in the Pacific showed no signs of slowing; in fact, the battles being waged there seemed to grow bloodier by the day. Roosevelt’s warm steadfastness had been a constant source of comfort through the long, grueling years of conflict; opinions were varied on whether smaller, meeker Truman would have the same effect on the American people. He had some big shoes to fill.
And, he was soon to find out, some even weightier ones.
On this day back in 1945, two weeks after Roosevelt’s death, Secretary of War Henry Stimson and General Leslie Groves met with Truman to discuss a project, one authorized by his predecessor but so top secret, even the then-vice president wasn’t allowed to know of its existence. It was called ‘The Manhattan Project.’ And its goal? To create the world’s first atomic weapon.
The project had been approved under Roosevelt at the urging of several top scientists who believed the Germans were working on something similar. However, the war in Europe was drawing to a close, and intelligence had informed the U.S. that the Nazis had been unsuccessful in their attempts; the threat posed by Germany was rapidly dwindling. On one hand, it would be entirely plausible to abandon the project.
On the other hand, the war in the Pacific was still raging. The bomb could be useful rectifying that. Plus, there were whispers of Soviet subterfuge. An atomic weapon in the hands of a Communist empire could only spell disaster…unless the U.S. held one in their arsenal too.
But, ultimately, the decision was entirely up to Truman. Roosevelt was gone; Truman was commander-in-chief. He alone would decide whether the Manhattan project would halt or move forward, whether the U.S. would kindle or smother the birth of the atomic age.
On April 25, 1945, Harry Truman gave the scientists permission to proceed with their work.
And the world was never the same.
