By Bulletin Staff, June 2, 2021
The National WWII Museum’s “The Manhattan Project Electronic Field Trip” has earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Daytime Non-Fiction Special. The special, filmed in partnership with the Bulletin, includes commentary from Sharon Squassoni, a member of the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board.
The Manhattan Project Electronic Field Trip was a February 2020 cross-country virtual expedition to “discover the science, sites, and stories of the creation of the atomic bomb. Student reporters examine[d] the revolutionary science of nuclear energy in the Museum’s exhibits and the race to produce an atomic weapon in complete secrecy.” Over 100,000 student participated.
Dive in now! Watch above, and learn more here.
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The program is entertaining and educational. Nevertheless, it perpetuates the falsehood that the WWII nuclear strikes were necessary to preclude an amphibious landings on the home island of Japan in order to end the war. Japan was beaten and unable to continue meaningful fighting. A naval blockade linked to a promise not to dethrone the Emperor was all that was needed to end the fighting.
Perhaps the military and the State Department lied to the President in order to get the bombs dropped and in order to put the Soviets on notice that we had the means to destroy the USSR post-WWII..
It was interesting that you involved the sites where the work on the bomb took place, but I am concerned of the sites that got affected, the environmental damage that was created and still impacts people around these test sites, the effects on indigenous tribes around and in test areas, the atomic soldiers impacted still suffering from their exposure, the range of tests that took place and still occur. There is definitely an underside to the story you tell and you are not letting students know the extent of that underside. I was pleased to see mention of the role of women and blacks but the story of the indigenous miners was not mentioned, our test sites in the Pacific, specifically the Marshall Islands was totally avoided as time moved on. Your presentation is a good start but there's more truth telling that is needed to give a more complete and honest account.