Unintended Consequences:

Hitler and the Bomb

Hitler knew he wanted to “free” Germany from its Jews, including its Jewish
scientists. However, he probably never imagined the far-reaching implications
of that decision. It led to the United States getting the atomic bomb, and
eventually to the nuclear arms race.

One of the first laws Hitler's government passed when it came to power in
Germany in 1933 forbade people with any Jewish grandparents from working
for the civil service (government), including the universities. His party was proud
of German science, and wanted to keep it “pure” from the strange thinking
introduced by Einstein and others.

This law led to many brilliant scientists losing their university jobs. Many also
realized that as Jews they were unwelcome and possibly at risk in Germany.
Some left immediately for university positions in Great Britain or the U.S. others
followed as they realized their danger. And as Germany invaded much of
Europe.

Many of them had been working to understand the atom. They realized its
terrible power if used for destruction—and knew that German scientists were
also working on atomic fission. The thought that the Germans might develope
an atomic bomb moved several of them, including Albert Einstein, to send a
letter to the American president. They proposed the U.S. government should
start urgent research to make a usable bomb before the Germans could.

After some time, the government agreed. It started a massive secret program
they called the Manhattan Project. Thousands of American and British scientists
worked on it. They were led by Robert Oppenheimer, an American of Jewish
background who had studied physics in Germany in the 1920s. Nearly 30 top
Jewish scientists who had fled German-controlled (or Fascist) Europe ended
up there too, as well as many jewish-American scientists who also hated the
ideology Hitler introduced and would do anything they could to opose it.

The bomb they developed was ready for final testing in July 1945. It far more
destructive than they had even imagined. By this time the Nazis had been
defeated, but the war with Japan continued. The American government decided
to use their new weapon against Japan.
Many of the scientists who had worked on the Manhattan Project. had hoped
the bomb would never be used. As the Cold War began, they strongly urged an
end to atomic weapons.

However, the American government felt they needed the threat of atomic
warfare to keep the Soviet Union (US.S.R.) from further aggression. Before long
(partly due to secrets a very few of the Manhattan scientists had shared with
the U.S.S.R. during the war, when it was still in theory an “ally”), it had
developed an atomic bomb of its own.

This led quickly to a nuclear “arms race.” Within a few years Great Britain,
France, China, and several other nations. Had also made and tested such
bombs. once scientists understood the principles. it proved impossible to keep
the technology from spreading.

No one could have predicted all the consequences that followed from Hitler's
hatred of the Jews or from the persecution of Jewish scientists.

Those scientists started out developing the atomic bomb in a race against time,
since they knew Hitler’s scientists were working on the same project. They won
that race, but ended up using the bomb anyway—and transforming the nature
of war and the future of humanity.