Cornell Chronicle (04/14/94): Atomic Bomb Saved Lives in WWII, Bethe Says By Larry Bernard Dropping the atomic bomb on Japan was necessary to end World War II and actually saved lives from a U.S. invasion, Hans A. Bethe, Cornell physicist, told a university audience last week. "There was terrible destruction," Bethe said, describing the effects of the nuclear explosion. "Hiroshima was almost razed to the ground. There were 200,000 casualties. Most of those casualties came from fire. "We probably needed the awful destruction of Hiroshima and possibly Nagasaki to make the emperor [surrender]," Bethe said. Bethe described the scientific and political events leading to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in a lecture titled "The Manhattan Project, A Scientist's Point of View," on April 6 in Schwartz Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall. His lecture was part of Cornell's International Week, with his talk sponsored by the Japan-U.S. Association. Carl Sagan, the David C. Duncan professor of astronomy and space sciences, introduced Bethe and moderated the discussion after his talk. Bethe, the John Wendell Anderson professor of physics emeritus, headed the theoretical physics division at Los Alamos, N.M., where the Manhattan Project to build an atomic bomb was headquartered. Bethe said the destruction of the two Japanese cities caused Emperor Hirohito to invoke his inner cabinet, made up of three military commanders and three civilians. They were split on whether to continue the war, Bethe said, and Hirohito decided to surrender. "What would have happened without those weapons? There were plans to invade Japan. The estimates were that it would take 1 million American lives. It was certain it would have taken far more Japanese casualties," the Nobel laureate said. "So . . . the atom bomb saved lives, mostly Japanese lives. And the Soviets were eager to participate in an invasion. That occupation would have been far more oppressive on Japan." Bethe, who came to Cornell in 1937 after leaving his native Germany, said the Manhattan Project meant that "there was never any chance that the bomb would not be used," even though it was meant for Germany. After Germany surrendered in May 1945, it was decided to use it against Japan. However, "I hope no nuclear weapon will ever be used again in anger," Bethe said. "A future war between nuclear powers would be entirely different from 1944," he said. "It would not involve two bombs, but hundreds. It would not kill a few hundred thousand, but it would kill millions. It would most likely destroy civilization." He added, "Statesmen have learned that [using nuclear weapons] is simply something that must not be done. We've survived 50 years, I think we'll survive some more." In response to a question about arms cuts, he said, "I would like to see the number of nuclear weapons drastically reduced. I'm hoping we can go down to something like 100. Then, a nuclear holocaust is no longer possible. "Why not eliminate them all? Because there are countries, like Iraq and North Korea, that treat the problem lightly. There have to be nuclear weapons in the hands of more responsible countries to deter such use." .