Transcripts For FOXNEWSW Countdown 1945 20200608

Chris in the spring of 1945 a new president took office in the midst of a great war. That first day he learned of a topsecret project that had been underway for years to develop a terrifying new super weapon to end the war. It was a joint effort by americas top officials, scientists and military leaders. The new president still had to give the order to go ahead. Perhaps the toughest decision any leader has ever faced. This is the story of the 116 days that changed the world. Chris january 20, 1945. Millions of americans were fighting world war ii in europe and in the pacific but in washington Franklin Delano roosevelt was being inaugurated for an unprecedented fourth term as president. The almighty god has blessed our land in many ways. Chris standing nearby the junior senator from missouri im a Harry S Truman, was the new Vice President. Many doubted roosevelt would make it through the next four years. Everyone knew fdr was sick. Chris kirk graham is director of the Harry S Truman library and museum. They knew that the Vice President was likely to become the president. Chris that they came less than three months later. Truman was over in the office of a sam rayburn, speaker of house from texas. Chris the Vice President got to ravens hideaway just after 5 00 p. M. And was known as the board of education where the speaker met with members of congress to discuss strategy and to have a drink. Truman was a regular. Rayburn told the Vice President the white house is looking for you so truman fixed himself a bourbon and sat down and dialed national 1414. Steve earley, president s longtime secretary, got on the phone and told the Vice President get to the white house as quickly and quietly as possible. Rayburn who always thought truman was pale thought now he got a little paler. Jesus christ in general jackson, truman said, as soon as he hung up the phone but he got up, walked over to the door and just as he got there he turned around and said to the people in the room, this stays in the room. Something must have happened. Now by himself truman ran to the almost empty capital. His shoes echoed on the marble corridors as he dashed past statues of generals and politicians. Ten minutes later his car arrived at the white house. He was escorted to the second story which is the familys residence. He was met there by eleanor roosevelt. Eleanor roosevelt said harry, the president is dead. When he heard his chief was dead, his simple humanity expressed itself in these words to missus roosevelts. What i do to help . She said the question is harry, can we do anything for you because you are the one in trouble now but here he truman knew exactly how much trouble he was in. When you see those initial photographs and moving images of truman he had a total deere in the headlights look. With the world at war he accepted the greatest response ability and world history, a new commanderinchief to lead our nation to ultimate victory. Chris how sidelined was truman by fdr as Vice President and to what degree did the president keep him out of his war councils . I think by the time truman became Vice President fdr was an expert at ignoring his Vice President. Chris senator roy blunt now holds the same senate seat that was once a truman. Of war stimson told him in the cabinet room the night that he became president that there is something ive got to tell you about. Chris s stimson kept it short but told truman an immense project was underway to develop a new explosive of almost unbelievable destructive power. The Vice President did not know about the Manhattan Project and thats one of many surprise learned while researching my new book, countdown 1945. The mysterious briefing led the new president puzzled in the days later stimson spelled out in a memo. Within four months we shall in all probability have completed the most terrible weapon ever known in human history, one bomb of which will destroy a whole city. Chris 2000 miles away in a topsecret installation in los alamos, new mexico physicist Robert Oppenheimer was leading a team of scientists and engineers to build the first atomic bomb. Fdr launched the Manhattan Project in 1942 at a cost of more than 2 billion, 125,000 americans worked at sites across the country. Meanwhile, thousands of americans were unaware of the critical roles they were plain. I was doing something to end the war. That is what they told us and we were not supposed to talk to anybody about our jobs. Chris in oak ridge, tennessee 19 yearold ruth did not tell anyone. She probably couldnt if she wanted to. She personified the old military joe, my job is so secret even i dont know what im doing. Her job was to watch dials and pushbuttons on a giant machine. They refer to it as the [inaudible] and it was a big machine and it had all kinds of meters and knobs on it. We had to keep it on that number. Chris ruth later learned she was working at the worlds First Permanent Nuclear Reactor playing a crucial role in the uranium enrichment process. Chris at the air force base in utah the five oh nine composite group made up of dozens of pilots, navigators, bombers and their support teams worked on their own secret mission with b29 super fortress bombers. Joe is an official historian of the 509. How secret was the mission . How much did the crew know about this mission they were going to be taking a part of . They were told nothing. And listing them and the officers they officially knew nothing about it. Chris the only one fully briefed on the mission was the commander, colonel paul tibbets junior. He originally started out in world war ii in europe. He flew in europe. He flew b17s. Chris tibbets had led the First American daylight heavy Bombing Mission over france and was once cap to fight the supreme allied commander general dwight eisenhower. Now he had to figure out how to drop histories first a bomb on an enemy targets. It was a beautiful, beautiful town. Chris halfway around the world she lived with her parents on the estate of her grandfather who ran a major rubber company. What was that like . That was the most beautiful thing. The garden. It was filled with flowers from different seasons and the different dancing colors. Chris it sounds like it was a wonderland. Yes, it was. It was. Beautiful. Chris she showed us photos of herself and her mother could how old were you . I was four. Four years old. I always tell everybody i am sorry i resemble [inaudible] because my mother was beautiful. [laughter] chris american b29s were firebombing other japanese cities and her mother drilled her on exactly what to do if their home was ever attacked. She said that you have to get away from anything that was burning because it will trap you and you wont make it. If anything happens when im not with you, run to the water. Chris she was determined to save her daughter from that nightmare. She sent her to a school in the countryside. She knew the war might eventually come to hiroshima. She had no idea that in less than 100 days their hometown would be the target of the most destructive weapon ever unleashed by man. If you think about the last few months maybe itll give us a new perspective. Maybe well see things weve been missing. Maybe itll help us see just how connected we all are. And maybe. Just maybe, if we look at the big picture. Itll remind us just how amazing freedom really is. I dont have to worry about that, do i . Are irritated. Harmful bacteria lurk just below the gum line. Crest gum detoxify, voted product of the year. It works below the gum line to neutralize harmful plaque bacteria and help reverse early gum damage. Gum detoxify, from crest. Chris it was president truman 61st birthday and he had a something to celebrate with the american people. The forces of germany have surrendered for the united nations. The flag of freedom flies all over europe. Chris cheers broke out at oak ridge but wilson wasnt ready to join in. My boyfriend was over in germany and i knew that they were thinking about sending him to japan. Chris that enemy showed no willingness to surrender. Few doubted that defeating the japanese could drag on for another 1218 months plus, hundreds of thousands more american lives and leave, perhaps a million japanese deaths. Chris she was now at a Remote School sent away like so many japanese children to protect her from the firebombing of japans disease. She was homesick with her friend mio she they hatched a plan to get back to her family in hiroshima. You and your friend snuck into town to mail a letter . We passed a post office. [laughter] uncensored letter begging. Chris to come get you and bring you back home . Yes. Chris july 16 and anxious president truman was in germany preparing for a summit with british Prime Minister Winston Churchill and soviet premier joseph stalin. The first meeting of the new big three after the surrender. Germ truman knew everything hinged on a test to be conducted that same day in the new mexico desert. Oppenheimers team had developed two designs for the atom bomb. The first was a 10foot long tube called little boy, using two pieces of uranium to trigger a Nuclear Chain reaction. This was shot across into the other parts of the bomb over here where there was another part of uranium. When the two got together and created a Critical Mass and an uncontrolled atomic explosion. Chris the second design did not use uranium but plutonium. It was called, fat man. This four tone bomb was to be detonated in what was called the trinity test, a reference to one of oppenheimers favorite poems. It was wired up and ready to go. 6 miles away scientist wagered on how powerful the bomb would be. Gases range from a disappointing dud to an explosion so powerful it would ignite the atmosphere. You know whats good about this . Your signs pointing at my sign, so people are gonna look at my sign. Switch to progressive and you can save hundreds. You know, like the sign says. Or psoriatic arthritis, Little Things can become your big moment. Thats why theres otezla. Otezla is not an injection or a cream. Its a pill that treats differently. For psoriasis, 75 clearer skin is achievable, with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. For psoriatic arthritis, otezla is proven to reduce joint swelling, tenderness, and pain. And the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. Dont use if youre allergic to otezla. It may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. Otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. Tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. Some people taking otezla reported weight loss. Your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. Upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. Tell your doctor about your medicines and if youre pregnant or planning to be. Otezla. Show more of you. Are made with farm grownal apples as the first ingredient. And key nutrients you want. So you can have a daily multivitamin free of stuff you dont want. One a day Natural Fruit bites. A new way to multivitamin. Live from americas news headquarters read on ashley. The Minneapolis City Council proposes an end to the City Police Department in the wake of George Floyds and death. Council members a decades of Reform Efforts to approve the department cannot be corrected. In taking intermediate steps and ending the force through the budget process and other policy decisions will [inaudible] spark 12 days of protest. One cop has been charged with seconddegree murder and the other three with aiding and abetting paired Tropical Storm makes land along the coast of Southeastern Louisiana paid the storm is expected to down fourt areas. It has spawned one tornado in Central Florida and could cause more. Louisiana has declared a state of emergency and requested fema workers be sent to impacted areas. Im ashley and now back to countdown 1945. Chris just before 5 30 a. M. A siren sounded across a remote section of the desert. Aptly nicknamed, dead mans attorney. A warning the first detonation of an atomic bomb was minutes away. The test was topsecret but the government allowed a film crew to shoot it for the historical record. Sec. Are taking off. Zero is the firing points. Two, one. Fire. Chris the call of fire ripped through the sky in the giant Mushroom Cloud billowed 40000 feet into the air. Heat seared across the desert. Vaporizing the steel tower that held the bomb moments before. [explosion] these views of the most concentrated release of explosive energy and history of mankind. Chris a 6foot feet 1000foot long crater was blasted into the ground and the test was successful. Two people left. Two people cried. Both people were silent. Chris the Manhattan Project had brought forth the atomic a. Oppenheimer later recalled the passage he said at that moment, from an ancient hindu text. I am the coming death. The destroyer of worlds. We all thought that one way or the other. Chris late that evening in germany which was eight hours ahead, president truman got first word of the test. It is while he is at [inaudible] that truman learns the bomb has been successfully tested in new mexico. Its a very cryptic message that all has gone well and its a great relief to him. And let him know he had a alternative here that no leader had ever had before. He had an alternative that was very different then the invasion of japan would have been. Chris at the same time some of trumans top military men had doubts. General eisenhower, in europe, and general Douglas Macarthur in the pacific, both opposed unleashing such a destructive weapon arguing japan was already beaten. Truman considered giving the enemy a demonstration of the bombs fearsome power before dropping it on a city but america only had two of them and if the demonstration was a dead it might strengthen japans resolve. Truman concluded, if he was going to drop the bomb, he must go ahead without warning. Chris aboard the uss indianapolis a precious cargo of uranium was crossing the pacific ocean. The cruiser was headed for [inaudible], a small island that was a perfect launch pad for attacks on japan. There it would rendezvous with colonel Paul Tibbetts 509 composite crew which had been rehearsing Bombing Missions but except for the commander they still did not know what kind of bomb they were about to drop. Chris president truman received a coded message from washington telling him the bomb could be ready in eight days. He recognized the weight of this moment and recognized the judgment of history. Can you imagine an american president sending hundreds of thousands of troops into harms way when he might have been able to stop that with the use of a single weapon. Chris truman asked secretary of war stimson which japanese cities were devoted to war production. On the target list, hiroshima and nagasaki. Chris truman made his decision. If japan ignored a final ultimatum the u. S. Would drop the atomic bomb. In the [inaudible] declaration he made one last call for unconditional surrender. Only surrender can prevent the kind of ruin which they have seen come to germany as a result of continued useless resistance. Chris japan rejected its last chance to avoid the fury of the atomic bomb. The countdown continued. Now, simparica trio simplifies protection. Ticks and fleas . 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Chris she was moved by the letter from her ten yearold daughter who pleaded to be brought back from the japanese countryside mac we saw or we saw our mothers and were so excited and then they were so tired and they wanted to stay that night so of course, and then couple of days, you know, we looked at each other and said no, mother, we ready to go. You must take us away from this miserable place. Please, right away. Tomorrow. Chris august 5. Yes. Chris you had to go home. Yes, we insisted. Chris back to here oshima. Yes. Chris as she headed back to her familys estate of film crew on the island prepared a record to be released to the public after tibbets and his men made history. The crew had their final briefing on whether an air and sea rescue. Chris the few men of shown photos the trinity test never imagined one bomb could be so deadly. Now, they were going to be the ones to drop it, not in an empty desert but on a densely populated japanese city. At 2 45 a. M. August 6, 1945 colonel tibbets takes the enola gay down the runway into the air beginning the 6. 5 hour flight to japan. Chris tibbets knew better than anyone how many things could go wrong on the mission and they could be shut down and the crew carried a cyanide to commit suicide and avoid capture and torture. The bomb could be detonated prematurely and if the enemy found their radiofrequency and even if the mission went perfectly shock waves from the explosion could tear the enola gay apart. August 6, she was back home. I am so happy. Birds were chirping. The sun was coming into my room. My mother had to go to help with some globalization thing and i said, hurry home. My mother said yeah, yeah, i will come back as soon as i can get away. That was the last time i saw her. Chris the engines it moaned their study song as the enola gay 5500 feet in the air just above the crowds. At 8 15 a weather plane proposed from here oshima that the weather is good. Chris tibbets revealed the secret to the crew. Over the intercom he said we are carried the worlds first atomic bomb. Several men gasped. Others thought now it all made sense. You started reading a book . My cousin had given me a story and i had to keep up with her. 31000 feet over here oshima, the enola gay begins the bomber. Chris with here oshima in view, they confirmed that they were on target. I had a video and they said something about only one or two planes and i said well, you know, usually hundreds come over. One or three . Oh, okay. Thats different. Chris at 9 15 a. M. The bombay doors opened. They released little boy from the restraining hook. Bomb away, he shouted. The men waited. Nothing happened. Was a little boy a dead . A flash brighter than the midday sun flooded the plane and white light. The first guy to see the atomic bomb explode was the tail gunner all of a sudden he looked up and he saw these rings coming towards him and actually they were concussion rings from the explosion but they hit the plane with such force it shook the plane. Chris ready thousand feet below chaos engulfed the ten yearold girls world. All of a sudden there was a white flash in the corner of my eyes. White colored like a waterfall was gushing down. Simultaneously, there was a humongous, unheard explosion. Stuff started to come down on my head and it hit hard. You couldnt see anything. Chris what did you think it was . I can still room or what i said. So this is been killed in war. Chris the ten yearold little girl and this is what it felt like to be killed and more. Yeah, and the direction i looked up there was a light coming in. I try to somehow find a way to get there. Chris she suffered only bruises and a deep gash on her right foot. Her uncle was dead in the garden and the rest of her family was almost paralyzed by the shock. She would have to save herself. She left the house alone. [speaking in native tongue] chris she walked past the dead and the dying and she prayed her mother was still alive. I remember saying to myself, please, god, carry this to wherever she is because i cannot find her. I cannot comfort her. I cant even tell her her child really needs her and misses her and wants to be with her. [inaudible] it was so scary and terrifying that my mother could be one of them. Chris president truman was across the atlantic when he received the message from secretary stimson. Big bomb dropped on hiroshima. First reports indicate complete success which was even more conspicuous than earlier tests. It was finally time for him to reveal the secret project and to tell the world it had entered the nuclear age. As a struggling actor, i need all the breaks that i can get. At liberty butchumal cut. Liberty biberty cut. Well dub it. Liberty mutual customizes your Car Insurance so you only pay for what you need. Only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. New fixodent ultra dual power provides you with an unbeatable hold and strong seal against food infiltrations. Fixodent. And forget it. They have businesses to grow customers to care for lives to get home to they use stamps. Com print discounted postage for any letter any package any time right from your computer all the Amazing Services of the post office only cheaper get our special tv offer a 4week trial plus postage and a digital scale go to stamps. Com try and never go to the post office again a short time ago an american airplane dropped one bomb on hiroshima and destroyed its usefulness to the enemy. It is an atomic bomb. It is a harnessing of the basic power of the universe. The devastation you see here was caused by the explosion of a bomb above this zeropoint chris the bomb leveled six 60 of hiroshima and instantly killed almost 70000 people. This barren area once contained the main Japanese Military headquarters, most of the military personnel are a proximally 20000 were wiped out. Chris truman filed the enemy continue to fight, there was more to come. If they do not now accept our terms they may expect a rain of ruin from the air the like of which has never been seen on this earth. Chris japan refused to surrender. Three days later the 509 dropped the second bomb, batman, on nagasaki. [explosion] chris in three days more than 100,000 japanese were dead and thousands more suffered from radiation poisoning. That night truman delivered a radio address to the american people. I realized the tragic significance of the atomic bomb. Having found a bomb, we used it against those who abandoned all pretense of obeying International Laws of warfare. Chris he then warned japan third bomb was ready to be deployed. The choice was theirs. We shall continue to use it until we completely destroy japans power to make war. Only a japanese surrender will stop us. Chris the next day japan finally gave in. The Second World War had taken a terrible toll, 72 million deaths, including 47 million civilians. And now, finally, it was over. The return of peace after the worlds most devastating war. There was nothing but [inaudible] for truman and everyone else. [cheering and applause] let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that god will preserve it always. Chris when we return, 75 years after hiroshima the debates over the decision to drop the bomb continues. Some perspective and a remarkable reconciliation. Do you feel anger at it when you look at it . To make up. Miles to the job site. The campsite. And anything else we set our sights on. Miles that take us back to the places we want to go. And to the people who count on us. So, lets roll up our sleeves. Because weve got miles to make up. Because i trust their quality they were the first to have a vitamin verified by usp. An independent organization that sets strict quality and purity standards nature made, the 1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand or psoriatic arthritis, Little Things can become your big moment. Thats why theres otezla. Otezla is not an injection or a cream. Its a pill that treats differently. For psoriasis, 75 clearer skin is achievable, with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. For psoriatic arthritis, otezla is proven to reduce joint swelling, tenderness, and pain. And the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. Dont use if youre allergic to otezla. It may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. Otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. Tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. Some people taking otezla reported weight loss. Your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. Upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. Tell your doctor about your medicines and if youre pregnant or planning to be. Otezla. Show more of you. To deliver your mail and packages and the peace of mind of knowing that essentials like prescriptions are on their way. Every day, all across america, we deliver for you. And we always will. I was writing unfavorably about them its a debate that has echoed through the decades. Should the u. S. Have dropped the bomb on her shema. It ended the war more than a year before the invasion of japan would have, and likely saved more than a million casualties on both sides. But with russia entering the war, the japan, they may have surrendered within days and spared to bid cities from annihilation. The men of the 509 received a heros welcome when they returned to the u. S. They never expressed any doubt publicly. Their mission was a righteous one. To the day he died he said i have no regrets, i did my job and i would do it again. People get killed in the war. That is too bad but there is no morality in warfare and ive never tried to explain it. But robert had serious second thoughts about the weapon he had developed. Two months after her shema, he visited the oval office and told the president i feel i have blood on my hands. They responded the blood is on my hands, let me worry about it. Then he told his staff, i dont want to see that son of a bitch in this office ever again. Through the years, he never wavered about his decision. The only operation that the japanese would understand is one that would show him what it was and thats what happened. And stop the war and i dont care what they might think because they didnt have to make the decision. The debate sparked american politics. In my 1949 russia tested its First Nuclear demise. They created a world where peace depended on Nuclear Assurance destruction. The other side could still wipe them out. Today, the stockpile of Nuclear Weapons on our planet is almost 50000. Thats equivalent to several million explosions. The future of mankind rests on a trigger but 75 years later, only one country has ever use the weapon in war. The united states. A profound irony that something so deadly was used to create peace. She turned her terrible experience into something positive, writing books and making speeches as a peace activist. That, despite the fact that he still struggles all these years later not with anger, but deep sorrow. Her father survived but her mother perished in the bomb. Your mother had gone into a building that had collapsed, correct. Yes and she was buried alive and apparently burned alive. She was barely 30, a young woman. She blamed herself because she insisted her mother bring her back the day before the bomb instead of staying in the countryside. [inaudible] eight years after the war, she came to the u. S. To attend college. She became a psychotherapist and social worker and married an american. When she traveled to washington for this documentary, she had one request. She wanted to see the b29 that carried the bomb that destroyed her family and home. And so, one cold march morning we set off for the annex of the air and space museum. What are you feeling now . Are you feeling nervous right now. No, i didnt sleep a wink so im not nervous, im tired. When we arrived at the museum i walked her slowly to the b29. Oh yes, i see that. Do you feel anger at it. Oh, yes, i was grief stricken. [inaudible] so goodbye. For all the questions about the morality of dropping them atomic bomb, its unrealistic to think. Truman would make any other choice. He came to the presidency without warning about a project that had been underway for three years. He consulted widely, listening to advisors who argued against using the bomb and he struggled with the decision through sleepless nights and fierce headaches, but in the end, he believed using his new super weapon would end th war a year sooner and save hundreds of thousands of american lives. And just 116 days, a new, untested leader made one of historys most consequential decisions. Hello america im mark levin. This is life, liberty and levin and they call the show the insurrection because i think thats whats taking place among other things in this country and i have to turn to a gentleman who i think know more about whats taking place in our cities then really anybody else. Theyve spent a life studying it and writing about it. One of those gentlemen is Shelby Steele whos been in