Bleeding Edge

May 8th 1945, marked the start of the Armistice that we still enjoy to this day.

Indeed to be proper & correct, we must admit that we live into the arms-race-peace otherwise known colloquially as “detente” that was created back in the end of summer of 1945.

Yet, as new people who haven’t lived thought the war — we fail to understand the benefits and certainly forget to treasure this wondrous & overlong “moment of peace” that has held strong, up to this very day…

But that is another matter altogether…

We enjoy the Peace and have become accustomed to the fruits of it — largely forgetting that things are not always static and are seldom evident as they appear…

In large measure we owe this ignorance to the length of the present moment of Peace, because we are transcending and confusing the continued peace with something rather exotic that is the absence of war.

War that has been the father of us all, and that was originally won in 1945 through the use of a far reaching and innovative weapon that was originally called “Tube Alloys”

“Tube Alloys” as it was described in unassuming and unthreatening parlance — was the secret weapon that was derived from the incredible power unleashed by the chain reaction of smashing variable atoms together…

And that weapon, the “Tube Alloys” was used well after the celebrations of the Armistice day which was commemorated as Victory day at the end of the seriously devastating Second World War in Europe in the midst of 1945 — died down…

This “Tube Alloys” were deployed from the clouds and rained down on Japan spreading a wind of instant death and a cloud of destruction, unalloyed by any mitigating factors or circumstances.

And this “Tube Alloys” weapon, finally brought a tremulous peace, a not quite fully baked resolution of the ravages and instabilities of the Second World War, because as we were still fighting all over the various Asian & Pacific fronts for several further months after Armistice Day in Europe — there were still millions of lives that were lost till the final bitter end of the bloodiest and the nastiest war we’ve been through as humans on this Earth.

And although this significant V-E Day Armistice, and the resultant cease fire was signed by the European combatants — the war was still several months away from the final end, and instead it was just heating up as the development of the “Tube Alloys” was rushed to conclusion through the Manhattan project.

It was a strange time to be still fighting Germany’s allies, well after Germany’s complete capitulation. Still the Soviet declaration of war against imperial Japan, and the massive Soviet military invasion of Manchuria coinciding with the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings were both three months ahead on the calendar. Mainly, because they wouldn’t take place until the 9th of August 1945, when the Russian forces attacked and routed the Japanese occupying Manchuria and China, thus resulting in the Japanese retreat to the home islands…

This was the day of the finessing of the first of two American atomic bombs that were dropped on Japan. One atomic bomb was dropped by the bomber “Enola Gay” over the city of Hiroshima on August 6th. This bomb’s fissionable material was U-235, (Uranium-235) the half-life of which is 700 million years, and yet it killed almost immediately approximately one hundred thousand people. The second nuclear atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki and it killed almost half than the one hundred thousand people who perished in the first atomic blast over a population center. That second bomb used in Nagasaki, employed Plutonium 239 as the fissionable material and it had a smaller kill rate. Keep in mind that the half life of Pu-239 is 24,000 years, and that this type of radiation, once it enters the ground — will be there for a very long time.

During the final stage of World War II, the United States detonated two nuclear weapons over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively. The United States dropped the bombs after obtaining the consent of the United Kingdom, as required by the Quebec Agreement.

The Quebec Agreement was an agreement between the United Kingdom and the United States outlining the terms for the coordinated development of the science and engineering related to nuclear energy, and, specifically nuclear weapons. It was initiated by Winston Churchill and signed by him and Franklin D. Roosevelt on the 19th of August 1943, during the height of World War II, at the Quadrant Conference in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, when both Churchill and Roosevelt felt that the development of this new weapon “Tube Alloys” would be the deciding factor for the Second World War, and thus, they had to develop it faster than the Germans and the Russians ever could.

The Quebec Agreement stipulated that the US and UK would pool their resources to develop nuclear weapons, and that neither country would use them against the other, or against other countries without mutual consent, or pass information about them to other countries. It also gave the President of the United States a veto over post-war British commercial or industrial uses of nuclear energy. The agreement merged the British Tube Alloys project with the American Manhattan Project, and created the Combined Policy Committee to control the joint project. Although Canada was not a signatory, the Agreement provided for a Canadian representative on the Combined Policy Committee in view of Canada’s contribution.

British scientists performed important work as part of the British contribution to the Manhattan Project, and in July 1945 British permission required by the agreement was given for the use of nuclear weapons against Japan.

The September 1944 Hyde Park Aide-Mémoire extended Anglo-American cooperation into the post-war period, but after the war ended, American enthusiasm for the alliance with Britain waned and the status of nuclear cooperation went out with it, because of leaks, fear of espionage, and illegal technology transfer to the Soviet Union’s nuclear weapons development program.

Finally, the “McMahon Act” ended technical cooperation through its control of “restricted data” after the theft of Nuclear Technology that found it’s way to the Soviet Union through the Rosenbergs who were convicted of playing a central role in an American spy ring that passed secret data concerning the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union during and immediately after World War II. The Rosenbergs were executed for their part in the nuclear energy and atomic weapons espionage, that came to light when Klaus Fuchs, the German-born physicist who was imprisoned in the 1950’s in Britain after being convicted of passing nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union was first arrested and interrogated. The physicist Klaus Fuchs was first arrested in Great Britain in the early 1950s and then he cooperated with the authorities for a reduced sentence, whereas the Rosenbergs fully denied their treasonous espionage against the United States.

And that was the practical end of the Quebec Agreement, that was superseded by a “Modus Vivendi” which was a working agreement, starting on the 7th of January 1948, that allowed for sharing of technical information between the United States and Great Britain; with Canada being the junior observer of the agreement.

In the summer of 1945 the agreement was in full force, and thus upon the passing of the torch from the recently deceased FDR who died on April 12th of 1945, the decision also passed to the new President Harry Truman, who fully engaged in the consultation of the Anglo-American Allies, in order to decide the timing of the Japanese bombing to coincide with the declaration of War by the Soviet Union against Japan…

Thus after careful consultations between the new American President Harry Truman and the UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, came the two atomic nuclear bombings over Japan, which arguably brought the closing of the Second World War in the Pacific, through the massive killing of between 130,000 – 230,000 people, amongst the two cities — most of whom were Japanese civilians that were simply going about their daily lives in the two cities.

These were the tentatively named new weapons called “Tube Alloys” a name given to the nuclear weapon for reasons of subterfuge by none other than Winston Churchill  who was a not so subtle master of disguise…

Thankfully, the development of the “Tube Alloys” and the subsequent atomic bombings over Japan’s cities of Hiroshima & Nagasaki remain to this day, the only ghastly reminder of the unleashed nuclear atomic energy weapons as the only wartime use of nuclear weapons against population centers — in the history of technologically advanced warfare.

And through the strength of this devastating demonstration in Japan, came the terrible Detente — that meant that these “Tube Alloys” also kept the Peace between the Cold War adversaries for more than Seventy years now…

Yet back in the final months of the war, the Allies prepared for what was anticipated to be a very costly invasion of the Japanese mainland. This undertaking was preceded by a conventional and firebombing campaign that destroyed 67 Japanese cities. The war in Europe had concluded when Germany signed its instrument of surrender on May 8, 1945. As the Allies turned their full attention to the Pacific War, the Japanese faced the same fate. The Allies called for the unconditional surrender of the Imperial Japanese armed forces in the Potsdam Summit’s Declaration, on July 26th of 1945, with the alternative being the unleashing of “prompt and utter destruction” on the home islands of Japan.

Sadly, the Japanese imperium, the military government, and the emperor — along with the devoted citizenry — all rejected the Allied ultimatum and instead doubled down on their vicious fight, so that the war continued unabated in the Pacific theater of conflict with the Allies looking at millions of casualties, if they were to storm the Japanese home islands to depose the military government and force the surrender of the Imperial cabinet, so that a cease fire can be introduced, and a democratic government can be installed…

Yet, by August 1945, the Allied effort at the “Manhattan Project” had produced two types of atomic bombs, and the 509th Composite Group of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) was equipped with the specialized Silverplate version of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress that could deliver them from Tinian in the Marianas to the Japanese home-island territories. Orders for the atomic bombs to be used on four Japanese cities were issued on July 25th by President Harry Truman and the Pacific command.

On August 6th, the US Military’s warplane “Enola Gay” a specialized Silverplate version of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, flew above Japan’s skies and zeroed in to the target where it dropped the “Little Boy” a uranium gun-type bomb on Hiroshima. Three days later, on August 9th, another Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber dropped the “Fat Man” a plutonium implosion-type bomb on Nagasaki. These two bombs immediately devastated their targets and spread nihilism over the whole of Japan. Over the next two to four months, the acute effects of the atomic bombings killed 90,000–146,000 people in Hiroshima and 39,000–80,000 people in Nagasaki. Roughly half of the deaths in each city occurred on the first day. Subsequently, large numbers of people continued to die from the effects of burns, radiation sickness, and other injuries, compounded by radiation illness and associated diseases, blamed on the nuclear fallout, for many months and years afterward.

In both cities, most of the casualties were civilians, although Hiroshima had a sizable military garrison, which was mostly deployed elsewhere at the time of the nuclear bombings. Naturally the nuclear fallout continued for many months and years afterwards and to this day, we study and learn from it’s radiation related effects and meta-effects.

It was after this bomb attacks and the declaration of War by Soviet Russia against Japan that caused it to announce its surrender to the Allied forces on August 15th, six days after the bombing of Nagasaki and the Soviet Union’s declaration of war.

On September 2nd, the Japanese government signed the instrument of surrender, effectively ending World War II. The various ethical and war-conventional legal ramifications for the bombings, are still debated to this day, although a firm precedent has by now been established for it’s use in the pursuit of Peace.

Collectively these three actions initiated by the United States and by the Soviet Russian Union against Japan — brought a swift end to the Second World War in the Pacific on September 2nd of the year 1945, when Japan was forced to surrender unconditionally…

It is worth noting that by the time of the Japanese surrender, there was in the works an Allied Coalition that had been subscribed by almost 60 nations, amongst all those that had jumped onboard opportunistically, and were thus arrayed against the Axis powers of Evil at the very glorious end — but like all things great and small in history — it had all started with One Man:

Winston Churchill.

And then through his courage, persistence and love of Freedom, he traveled great distances and overcame incredible odds to find his first potential ally … and then to cultivate this relationship, in order to built a working friendship.

And that first friend of Winnie, was none other than the leader of the Soviet Union, the young seminary student from Tsiblishi, the bank robber of Georgia, the October Moscow terrorist, the bloody purger of men and whole peoples — none other than Marshal Joseph Stalin.

And now we had two men arrayed together against Evil.

It would be two years before these two men became three…

Because that was when the American President deigned to join the English people in order to fight against fascism — when FDR had clearly seen the opportunity to shine by joining the ones who were going to stand firm against Hitler.

FDR wanted to be opportunistic and wait until one or the other of the two great combatants would emerge victorious and then he would make a deal with the winer, but Churchill and the ensuing events did not allow him to maintain his opportunistic stance, his gambling mindset, and his zero-sum game of many ancient nation’s existence. Instead he was drawn pell-mell into the great Allied partnership of the three leaders — where the always opportunistic Franklin Roosevelt, had to contend with the honorable gentleman Winston Churchill, and with the bloody tyrant Joseph Stalin, as an equal partner, of the alliance that had emerged as the forces of LIGHT that were prosecuting the war in Europe and the Pacific agains the forces of DARKNESS in this ancient bloodletting ritual.

Indeed, these three men were vastly different in substance, in upbringing, and in political beliefs, and just as surely, they were always in some state of disagreement. Yet they were also kept on good terms with each other, through frequent dialogue, very many exchanges, and through Summitry. Summitry was a word developed by the attendants of the personal summits that were organized always and forever by Winston Churchill — the unalloyed Architect of Victory in the Second World War.

Led by Winston Churchill’s enduring spirit — these Summits that some people say that he invented — brought these three Leaders together, so that they changed the course of history for the Good and in Service to Humanity.

Indeed their summit exchanges were remarkable, and oftentimes stormy, as can be seen by their messages, telephone calls, and diplomatic missives and even by the personal letters that were exchanged between the three world leaders over the course of their remarkable friendship.

Their personal lives, became intertwined and their individual and joint battles — won and lost — forged these three men into a valiant and unified force, in the service of Liberty and Light.

And as they shared the spotlight and the hot seat, for the decisions that brought victory to our alliance during the biggest war of our history — their interwoven and remarkable tale of friendship, proves a fascinating study of Statesmanship and Courage in the face of adversity, that might be necessary reading for all those who are in Public Service, or aspire to become Great Leaders.

Many of these letters are now available to the researcher and the historian in a collated form from the British Archives and the British Library where yours truly delved into them…

And for those of you who remember Winston Churchill’s speech after the Battle of Britain, dedicated to the many fallen pilots of the British Royal Air Force — “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few” — now, You would agree that this sentence perhaps more aptly applies also to himself and to the other two allied leaders, who engineered the V-Day triumph in the Second World War, because it was all a closely run thing…

And it was the stark threat of fascism engulfing this Earth from both ends, that became the catalyst for this improbable friendship between an Anglo-American romantic warrior knight, and a crass slavic tyrant who had come up the ranks of the Communist party as the bloodiest comrade of the Russian Communist Bolshevik Revolution.

These two men were later to be joined by the wealthy & opportunistic New York City social butterfly and ersatz Democratic party reformer — Franklin Delano Roosevelt who was more dependent on his mother and her inheritance, than on himself, or on his cabinet, or even upon his wife and personal family…

Yours,

Dr Churchill

PS:

Yet the tube alloys keep on going and multiplying up to this day, when each and every potentate and petty tyrant upon this earth wants to have one or more to saber rattle his neighbors and imagined enemies and friends…

And we constantly fight to keep the peace as we measure our stance and resolute calm against those that seek to arm themselves with weapons of mass destruction and atomic war. North Korea, Iran, Turkey, and many others nuclear weapons claimants, come to mind, and we need to address these present and future enemies of Peace at each and every turn of the dial…

And if we need to bomb them to stop them — so be it.

But we also have a responsibility to keep the Peace at the face of War and Adversity.

So in defense of Peace I must say this:

Since the beginning of time, we have been inspired through the use of arms, fire, brawn, tools, weapons, and war technology, to maim, kill, enslave and subjugate people throughout the world.

Yet at the same time we have developed our intellect through great teachings that guide us, as we discern how best to navigate our way through this beautiful Green Earth…

Yet it is this creation which You have shared with us, and with all creatures who share this magnificent place with us where there is one teaching that says we human beings are created in Your image…

And what we do on this earthly plane manifests You and your plan into this world.

Therefore, we know that You, in Your mysterious ways, have the power to unleash great destruction on this planet and that we can be the instrument of that fire and brimstone…

Indeed, You can cause the earth to tremble with such violence and force that buildings collapse and whole cities are buried with millions of people underneath leaving barely a trace…

You can make the rains to fall with such speed and volume that small streams swell into wild rushing rivers, causing rivers of mud that swallow our houses and those who live in them…

And You can send bolts of lightning hurdling down to the earth, setting forests on fire, destroying every tree and bush, every fawn, bird, and tree frog that had once lived there…

Is it this destructive side of You Lord, that you want us to make manifest in this world that you have created, that you have so generously shared with us, and with all of the other creatures who share this space with us?

Do you want us to use the tremendous intelligence and skill with which you have endowed us in order to build bombs that can unleash great destruction wiping out whole populations and innocent and blameless creatures, leaving wide swaths of civilization eviscerated in a matter of seconds?

Do you want us to use the creative force that pulses through us to develop weapons of mass destruction that have the capability to end life at such a pace and speed that we cease to see the humanity in the faces of those whom we mow down and are no longer able to recognize the humanity in the faces that stare back at us in the mirror?

Or maybe something else?

We pray from the depths of our hearts and souls, that you help us choose to manifest not your destructive forces, but rather, Your goodness in the world

And we beseech you to help us to see that the loving kindness with which the mother caresses her son is the human quality we embody, and that the same loving kindness instilled in us, is the force with which we care for those who are innocent, vulnerable and dependent, on our loving and protective care.

So…

Let us be strong and help us see the grief of the mother lamenting the loss of her son upon the cross, in the same grief as is found in us, when we are our brother’s keeper and we forget our duty to choose life.

So, we opt to choose Life.