jjones@ucscc.UCSC.EDU (06/14/89)
From: sco!jjones@ucscc.UCSC.EDU Some time back, I came across a reference of a Japanese "Manhattan Project" during WWII in the book "Enola Gay," an account of the events leading up to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (I do not remember the author's name.) Supposedly the Japanese were, like the U.S., trying to harness fission as a weapon. According to the book, though, the Japanese researchers were trying for some kind of death ray, not a bomb. Is there any truth to this? If so, does anyone have details about what the Japanese were working on? I haven't run across any other mention of this anywhere. Feel free to post your response, but I request that you also e-mail it to me; I don't regularly read this group. Thanks.
Tom Merkel (merkel@shuxd.att.com) (06/16/89)
From: Tom Merkel (merkel@shuxd.att.com)
I once worked for a physicist who was part of the Japanese military
R&D effort towards the end of WWII. He stated to me that there was a
Japanese nuclear effort, but it was poorly funded with only a
handful of researchers. His opinion was that while the people
working on it were good, they had no resources for implementation
or testing. He wasn't certain that they would have been able to
produce anything militarily useful. He claimed no direct involvement.
-Tom
---
Tom Merkel | merkel@shuxd.att.com
Hard work never hurt anyone, | att!shuxd!merkel
but why take chances. | merkel%shuxd@att.arpamilitary@cbnews.ATT.COM (William B. Thacker) (06/16/89)
From: Dave Newkirk (att!ihlpm!dcn) A small atomic energy project was active in Japan during WWII. After the resources required to make a bomb became known, the major focus of the project was changed to look at power reactors. During later air attacks, some of the critical equipment for enriching uranium was damaged, and the project never regained momentum. After the war, some Japanese equipment was accidentally destroyed by over-enthusiastic workers, when it was needed by the growing US bomb production project. Both the German and Japanese bomb projects are mentioned in historical books on the Manhatten Project. -- Dave Newkirk, att!ihlpm!dcn --- Dave Newkirk, att!ihlpm!dcn
pierson@cimnet.dec.com (06/20/89)
From: pierson@cimnet.dec.com One reference on the Japanese Nuclear effort during WWII is: Japan's Secret War, Robert K Wilcox ISBN 0-688-04188-4 I regard it as highly speculative, but presumably the base facts can be relied on. He builds case for a nuclear research and production center up on the Korean (N Korean, perhaps) coast. --- Footnote on books in general. There exist (for those who haven't found them) a set of books called "Books in Print". These list "all" (ok, most...) of the books in print. They include ISBN's, Publishers, etc. The _neat_ thing (IMHO) is that they books are cross referenced: There are three sets of volumes, arranged by Title, Author, and (perhaps most useful) Subject. The range and "fineness" of the subject classifications is very good. Libraries commonly have BiP, and bookstores may have them. thanks dave pierson |The opinions are my own, Digital Equipment Corporation |The facts as true as I can manage. 600 Nickerson Rd Marlboro, Mass
daveme%tekirl.labs.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET (Dave Mead) (06/26/89)
From: Dave Mead <daveme%tekirl.labs.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET> The Japanese bomb effort revolved around one guy for the most part. Chances of success were zero.......just like Germany, only worse.