1) Where did the first test of an atomic bomb take place? What was the name of the test? In Alamagordo, New Mexico on July 16, 1945

Atomic Café Worksheet -- Part I ANSWERS Instructor: Tony Del Vecchio

1) Where did the first test of an atomic bomb take place? What was the name of the test? •

In Alamagordo, New Mexico on July 16, 1945

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The Trinity Test

2) Who was the commander of the Enola Gay? How did he describe the bombing of Hiroshima? •

Colonel Paul W. Tibbets, Jr.

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“As we came in from our initial point to the bomb release point, it was again routine. We were bothered not in the least by any kind of fighter opposition, no flak. We didn’t see anything to cause us any concern so that we were able to concentrate strictly on the bombing problem… This, as I say, was a perfectly unexciting and routine thing up until the point of taking a look at the damage that had been done, and then it was kind of -- it was a little bit hard to realize. It was kind of inconceivable as to what we were looking at there.” – Paul Tibbetts

3) How many cities did the US Navy Department believe would have to be bombed before Japan believed America even possessed a weapon like the atomic bomb? •

Four or five

Atomic Café Worksheet -- Part I ANSWERS Instructor: Tony Del Vecchio

4) What did President Harry S. Truman say it would take before the US would stop dropping atomic bombs on Japan? •

“Having found the atomic bomb we have used it. We shall continue to use it until we completely destroy Japan’s power to make war. Only a Japanese surrender will stop us.” -- Harry S. Truman

5) What did Truman pray God would do with respect to the US use of the atomic bomb? •

“We thank God that [the atomic bomb] has come to us instead of to our enemies, and we pray that He may guide us to use it in His ways and for His purposes.” -- Harry S. Truman

6) How did Captain Beahan describe his experience of dropping the atomic bomb on Nagasaki? •

“I suppose it was when the clouds opened up over the target at Nagasaki. The target was there, pretty as a picture. I made the run, let the bomb go. That was my greatest thrill.” – Kermit Beahan

Atomic Café Worksheet -- Part I ANSWERS Instructor: Tony Del Vecchio

7) In the song "When the Atom Bomb Fell" what was "the answer to a fighting boy's prayer"? What is meant by this? •

“the bomb that struck Hiroshima”

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Many American soldiers felt that their lives might have been saved due to the fact that the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended the war, and that they would not be called upon to invade the Japanese mainland and face fierce ground opposition like that experienced in the Pacific during the US military’s “island hopping campaign”.

8) What type of targets was the Enola Gay's crew told to bomb? Why? •

“The group had been told to select some targets in Japan that had not been bombed, in other words, they wanted virgin targets. And the reason behind it, even though not given to the group at that time, the reason behind it was that they wanted to be able to make bomb blast studies or bomb damage studies on virgin targets once the bombs were used.” – Paul Tibbetts

Atomic Café Worksheet -- Part I ANSWERS Instructor: Tony Del Vecchio

9) What did Paul Tibbets say happened to him after the bombing of Hiroshima? Why was this so, in his opinion? •

“I have been subjected many times to criticism. I have been accused of being insane, being a drunkard, being everything that you could imagine a derelict to be as a result of a guilty conscience for doing this, and as I say, no one’s ever come to my defense in that regard. I look at it this way, that my part in this thing may well have been something that later or now that the U.S. government might be looking at somewhat with a guilt complex. And the feeling could be that the less said about it by the United States government, the better.” – Paul Tibbetts

10) What was Bikini Atoll used for? •

Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands was used by the United States as a testing site for nuclear bombs under the military’s “Operation Crossroads”.

11) What strange beliefs did the American public have about the atomic bomb before testing in the Pacific took place? •

They thought that it would start a chain reaction in the water, converting it all to gas and letting all the ships on all the oceans drop down to the bottom; that it would blow out the bottom of the sea and let all the water run down the hole; and that it would destroy gravity.

Atomic Café Worksheet -- Part I ANSWERS Instructor: Tony Del Vecchio

12) What happened to the natives of Bikini? How did US propaganda films describe their reaction to this? •

They were evacuated so that the US military could conduct nuclear tests.

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They said that they were “willing to cooperate” and “willing to go,” and that “the islanders [were] a nomadic group and [were] well pleased that the Yanks [were] going to add a little variety to their lives.”

13) What did the US commodore tell the Bikini natives the US wanted to do with the destructive power of nuclear weapons? •

“…the United States Government now wants to turn this great destructive force into something good for mankind, and that these experiments at Bikini are the first step in that direction.”

14) In the film "1947 Year of Division" what did the filmmakers say was now taking place? •

“The ruthless expansionism of the total state – challenging the basic ideals of individual and national freedoms,” and a “growing struggle between two great powers to shape the post-war world.”

Atomic Café Worksheet -- Part I ANSWERS Instructor: Tony Del Vecchio

15) What did the film say had descended upon Eastern Europe? •

An “iron curtain”

16) What kind of social experiment had taken place in the town of Mosinee, Wisconsin? •

A mock takeover of the United States by the Soviet Union

17) What historic event happened in 1949? •

The Soviet Union exploded an atomic bomb on August 29, 1949.

18) What did Senator Brien McMahon say the US reaction should be to the above? How did Americans actually react? •

“This is no time for hysteria. This is no time for panic. This is a time for a calm reflection on the political and military implications on this transcendent event.” – Brien McMahon

19) What occurred in 1950? Which countries were involved in this action? •

The outbreak of the Korean War

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The United States and other UN allies, South Korea, North Korea, China, and the Soviet Union

Atomic Café Worksheet -- Part I ANSWERS Instructor: Tony Del Vecchio

20) What did President Truman say was under consideration due to the above events? Why? •

The use of the atomic bomb on North Korean targets

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“If the United States yields to the forces of aggression, no nation will be safe or secure. If aggression is successful in Korea, we can expect it to spread throughout Asia and Europe and this hemisphere.” – Harry S. Truman

21) What was Representative James Van Zandt's opinion as to how to handle the war in Korea? •

“It’s my opinion that we should fight this war to win in Korea, rather than try to settle at the diplomatic table, which is impossible when you’re dealing with the Russians… I’ve always been a firm believer that we should use the atomic bomb, not only in Korea, but north of the Yalu River in Manchuria.” – James Van Zandt

Atomic Café Worksheet -- Part I ANSWERS Instructor: Tony Del Vecchio

22) What did Representative Lloyd Bentsen propose regarding the conduct of the Korean War? •

“I propose the President of the United States advise the commander of the North Korean troops to withdraw his forces beyond the 38th parallel within one week or use that time to evacuate civilians from a specified list of North Korean cities that will be subjected to atomic attack by the United States Air Force.” -- Lloyd Bentsen