48 pages • 1 hour read
Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World
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Chapters 23-27Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 23 Summary: Countdown: 11 Days
On the island of Tinian, James Nolan and Robert Furman arrive on the USS Indianapolis, keeping watch over the most precious cargo the war has yet seen: “$300 million worth of weapons-grade uranium-235 destined to fuel America’s first combat-ready atomic bomb” (171). Nolan is a doctor and Furman an engineer, and once the Indianapolis has delivered its cargo to the island, it sets off immediately for the Philippines to engage in further combat, only to be torpedoed and sunk four days after leaving Tinian. In the meantime, Churchill fails to be reelected to office and the Potsdam Declaration is released, demanding that Japan surrender unconditionally.
Chapter 24 Summary: Countdown: 8 Days
Robert Lewis is stationed at Tinian and the day’s mission is not off to a good start, as one of the planes that was about to take off has malfunctioned, dropping a bomb onto the runway. The problem is quickly resolved, however, and the day goes on as usual. When Lewis gets a chance to speak with Tibbets, Tibbets tells him that he will be flying the mission with the bomb; unfortunately, Lewis takes Tibbets to mean that he would be piloting the plan, something Tibbets had no intention of allowing.
Chapter 25 Summary: Countdown: 6 Days
Truman has been in Germany for more than three weeks and wants nothing more than to simply go home. In an attempt to dissuade Japan from continuing the war effort, American planes drop hundreds of thousands of leaflets and brochures over the mainland, attempting to convince the Japanese of the necessity of peace. Japanese officials refuse, even ensuring that “a new wave of kamikaze suicide attacks” (180) is launched immediately.
Chapter 26 Summary: Countdown: 5 Days
While no precise date for the bombing has been set, it is now August 1st, and Tibbets knows it could happen any day after August 3rd. Tibbets draws up the attack plan. There will be seven planes: three will fly ahead to check the weather conditions over the various targets, another will stand by on Iwo Jima as a backup, and two more will accompany Tibbets’ strike plane in order to observe the drop and the blast—one will record the scientific data, and one will carry photographic equipment.
In addition to deciding on the plan and the planes, Tibbets also needs to choose the men, which he does quickly. Among the chosen—besides himself and Lewis—are Van Kirk, Ferebee, Beser, William Parsons, Morris Jepperson, Bob Caron, Wyatt Duzenbury, Robert Shumard, Richard Nelson, and Joseph Stiborik. Tibbets speaks to each one in turn about the upcoming mission.
Chapter 27 Summary: Countdown: 4 Days
August 2nd is Truman’s last day in Potsdam. He feels very little has been accomplished. Truman realizes that the war is about to end thanks to the bomb, but what he does not realize is he is about to initiate the Cold War. He visits King George VI on his way back to America. Meanwhile, in Guam, Tibbets and Ferebee pore over a map of Hiroshima looking for the perfect place to aim their bomb release. Eventually, they find it: the Aioi Bridge, a prominent landmark that spans the Ota River and one they will be sure not to miss.
Chapters 23-27 Analysis
On July 26th, 1945, the USS Indianapolis arrives at the island of Tinian to deliver the most lethal cargo known to man. Over $300 million worth of uranium is delivered that will lay waste to Hiroshima in less than two weeks’ time. While this is a detail of the story that easily could have been overlooked, its inclusion by Wallace serves to highlight the meticulous nature of the process needed for the operation to run smoothly and be ultimately successful.
Meanwhile, the Potsdam Declaration is released, reiterating the demand for Japan’s unconditional surrender. With this declaration, there is now no turning back, as the Allies have set their demands in stone and nothing less than total cooperation and submission from the Japanese forces will do. American forces attempt one last time to convince Japan to surrender by flying planes over the mainland to drop propaganda leaflets and brochures, warning the Japanese that greater destruction is inevitable and that they should agree to the conditions of surrender as soon as possible. Although such efforts do not necessarily justify the eventual use of the nuclear bombs, at the very least the Allies try to persuade Japan to surrender. For their part, the Japanese forces almost seem to make every effort to antagonize the Allies further, responding to the leaflet campaign with new waves of kamikaze fighters, whose only intention is that of destruction and demoralization.
Five days out from the bombing, the final plans for the mission are drawn up in order to maximize the chance of success. Meticulously planned even to the point of choosing the individual team members on account of their specific expertise, absolutely nothing is left to chance. The members of the bombing crew plan the exact location within Hiroshima to use as a target, eventually settling on the Aioi bridge due to its large size and conspicuous shape—but they cannot anticipate the change they are about to make on the world stage. They are not only about to end the war, they are about to initiate the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union, in which the two world superpowers will fight to gain control and dominance in a world into which nuclear weaponry has been unleashed.
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