Group 3

Discussion Question #1
Why do you think Harry Gold provided sensitive information to the Russians?  Could there be spies in Crawford County collecting sensitive information for another country's benefit?


Discussion Question #2
The chapter, “Quiet Fellow,” ends with the following statement: “It was a decision that would haunt him for the rest of his life.”  What is the meaning of the word haunt as it is used in the previous sentence?  Why do you think Sheinkin used this statement at this point in the book?  What could he be telling his audience?



Discussion Question #3

On page 113, we learn that twenty-six Norwegian civilians were killed when Knut Haukelid and his commandos sank the ferry carrying the German heavy water.  What are your thoughts and feelings about loss of innocent lives during any war?

Discussion Question #4


Why is it important that you understand the different perspectives regarding the use of weapons of mass destruction?

12 comments:

  1. Blog #1 Group #3

    Alexis, Kierstin, Caleb, Hunter, and I thank you for taking the time to blog with us and help us learn more about the book, Bomb: The Race to Build -and Steal- the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon.

    Question #1
    Harry Gold provided sensitive information to the Soviets because he thought he was doing the right thing. In the book, Bomb: The Race to Build -and Steal- The World’s Most Dangerous Weapon, by Steve Sheinkin, he explicitly states, on page twenty-five, “The chemical processes Black wanted didn’t seem so secret, and if the information could really help the Soviets build a better society, why not share it? Who would it hurt?” This evidence shows that Gold did not realize what he was doing could potentially hurt his country if he continued, because the Soviets could use that information that he was collecting to attack the U.S. We infer that the Soviets were receiving more information to help win the war, and they were keeping Gold in the dark, so that he did not know they’re going to use it against America and stop helping the Soviets. This is important because Harry Gold might not have sold the United States out to another country on purpose at first, for he thought he was helping them make better lives for the Soviet citizens.

    Question #2
    There could be spies in Crawford County collecting sensitive information for other countries because we are in small areas with big industries. One example is Flying S, Inc. in Palestine. The employees are working on so-called “projects” and are giving no information out to the public. We know this because, on their website, www.flying-s.com, in the tab “Projects”, it has a restricted sign so random people cannot look into what they are making. This is just one of the many “hidden” industries in Crawford County. This example backs up our claim by proving that, because we have giant industries, people from other countries may want our secrets to help their own country or hurt us, the United States, and may send spies to retrieve them. Alexis, Hunter, Caleb, Kierstin and I, can infer that there are spies in America because Flying S, Inc., and places alike have to take precautions, like security and being located in the middle of nowhere. Businesses may have secrets they have to protect. Therefore, that may be the reason for the amount of money spent to pay for top security. All in all, spies could be in Crawford County to steal secrets from big industry for the betterment of the countries to which they are loyal.

    Hunter, Alexis, Kierstin, Caleb, and I look forward to your response.

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  2. I too believe that Harry Gold did not maliciously give out information. But I believe he gave out information to please Black. Have you ever been in a situation where you were thankful for something someone did or gave you, and so in return you gave them something or information that you thought might somehow repay them. Black gave Gold a job, and Gold was thankful for this. Because of this he gave Black information not knowing he was working for the Russians. Gold was a "people pleaser". He liked to follow the rules and do right which as you read more into the book you will see. I am sure you can think of a time in your life that you were thankful and gave information out maybe that you weren't suppose to. And sometimes this information can hurt people even though you didn't mean for it to.
    Your example of company secrets is a good example of how their might be spies in Crawford County. I too believe their are spies everywhere. With technology these days besides just in companies can you think of other places there might be spies? When I think about spies in Crawford County I think about all the electronics we use on a daily basis. Spies could be listening in on your phone calls, they could be in your house through your alexa that sits on your kitchen counter, or they could be on your computer looking at everything you search. This day and age spying would be a lot easier because you don't have to actually become face to face with a person to be spy, you can do it through communication devices. Do you think you have spies listening in on phone calls, browsing your internet searches?

    Lindsey

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  3. Response #1 Group #3
    Our group met and discussed the following question that you asked: Do you think you have spies listening in on phone calls, browsing your internet searches? Our answer is ‘yes’. We do think that it is likely we have spies listening in on phone calls, and browsing our internet searches. For example, just recently we read about a 14 year old boy who found out that people could be listening in on Facetime calls. The boy found it out before it went viral. You can check the following website, www.nbc26.com for information. So, this proves that the possibilities are real, and we need to be aware. This could also happen to industries like the Flying S, Inc. Employees could be ordering supplies for their projects. Spies could be using this information for their country’s benefit. One could say that they could look at the Flying S search history for special materials for their projects. Others could use this information for projects of their own to use against us. Therefore, spies in Crawford County could be infiltrating today, seeking to find special information, hoping we have it.

    We look forward to blogging to the next question.

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  4. Blog 2 Group #3

    The meaning of “haunt” in the sentence, “It was a decision that would haunt him for the rest of his life.”, is that not telling Groves is going to stay with him for the rest of his life and that he regrets not telling Groves. In the book, Bomb: The Race to Build-And Steal- the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon, by Steve Sheinkin, he explicitly states, on page sixty-five, “Oppenheimer chose not to tell General Groves that he'd been approached by the Soviets.” This shows that Oppenheimer had been approached by the Soviets, and could be affiliated with them because of it. We can infer that the FBI, Groves, and the other scientists will find out about Oppenheimer running into the Soviets. Logic says that if Groves finds out about Oppenheimer being approached by the Soviets, Groves might not let him help with the Bomb project anymore. They might think Oppenheimer told the Soviets about the plans to build the bomb.

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  5. I agree with your guy's response. The word "haunt" in that sentence means that it will linger with him, that he won't forget out it, that he possibly made a bad decision that he will regret for the rest of his life. I can think of many things in my life that you could say would "haunt" me. Decisions that were made that maybe were not the best that will linger and impact my life. Every decision you make has the potential to impact you, the people around you, and the world and so we must make decisions that will not "haunt" us. Most decisions that are made that might "haunt" us are decisions that we know in the moment are not right. Oppenheimer knew that by not telling Groves about being approached by the soviets was not the most honest, and forth coming decision he could make. Most likely he is haunted by this decision because like you said, if and when it is found out that might be working with the soviets he would not be able to work on the bomb project. Can you think of a time in your life that maybe a decision you have made has "haunted" you. Or a circumstance that might haunt someone in this day and age.

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  6. Response #2 Group #3
    Our group met and discussed the following question you had asked: “Can you think of a time in your life that maybe a decision you have made has "haunted" you. Or a circumstance that might haunt someone in this day and age.” In this day and age, many people use social media to interact with others, but using social media comes with some risk. For example, you may accidentally send something personal to someone you shouldn’t and regret it immediately, or you could overshare information with people who might use it against you and have it haunt you. On the website, https://www.webroot.com/us/en, it explains how you can use the internet safely and reduce the risk of doing something on there that might haunt you later. This website wouldn’t be here if some people hadn’t messed up and done something wrong, which they regretted, and so they decided to make a website to help others not make the same mistakes. Overall, yes we can think of many things that would haunt someone in this day and age.

    We look forward to blogging the next question.

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  7. Blog #3 Group #3

    Alexis, Kierstin, Hunter, Caleb, and I learned that twenty-six Norwegian civilians were killed when Knut Haukelid and his commandos sank the ferry called the Hydro carrying barrels of heavy water to Germany. Our thoughts and feelings about the loss of innocent lives during any war are that sometimes, the lives of a couple civilians must be sacrificed, so they can save millions of other civilian lives. In the book, Bomb: The Race to Build -And Steal- the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon, by Steve Sheinkin, he explicitly stated on page 110, “‘Very urgent that heavy water must be destroyed. Hope this can be done without too serious consequences.’” This textual evidence backs up our claim by proving how losing a couple of innocent lives can save thousands more. We infer that if the Germans transported the heavy water all the way to Germany and created the atomic bomb, millions would have died, and we probably would not be here today. One could say that because of the lives who were sacrificed, Germany did not receive the heavy water, which saved even more lives in the end. What are your thoughts?

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  8. I too agree. I think this is a very sensitive subject, and my thoughts and I this differ these days because I live with a veteran who lost lives in the war and see how it affects him daily. So while the lives lost saved many, they also hurt many as well. They hurt the individuals families who are mourning the loss. In the war we faced during 9/11 a lot of veterans suffer from PSTD because of the lives they witnessed get lost our protection. Have you all ever thought about in this light? 22 veterans commit suicide daily because they were fighting a war to save us. So while they helped save so many lives in their fight, the sufferings are still occurring many years later.

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  9. Response #3 Group #3

    We met and discussed the question you asked us in response to blog three and have come to the conclusion that many veterans sacrifice their lives for others everyday. We understand that because of their sacrifice, the families who lost, might have lasting problems from what has happened to them during combat. That is why we greatly respect them for what they do or have done for us, and because of their sacrifice, we are here today. We believe that the sacrifice they make may not be physical, but can be just as harmful such as PTSD. Yet their sacrifices are necessary to protect our country and its citizens. In the end, the veterans of this country have the greatest respect out of anyone for what they have endured. It is frightening to us that twenty-two veterans commit suicide daily because of fighting in a war.

    We look forward to blogging the next question with you.

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  10. Response #3 Group #3

    We met and discussed the question you asked us in response to blog three and have come to the conclusion that many veterans sacrifice their lives for others everyday. We understand that because of their sacrifice, the families who lost, might have lasting problems from what has happened to them during combat. That is why we greatly respect them for what they do or have done for us, and because of their sacrifice, we are here today. We believe that the sacrifice they make may not be physical, but can be just as harmful such as PTSD. Yet their sacrifices are necessary to protect our country and its citizens. In the end, the veterans of this country have the greatest respect out of anyone for what they have endured. It is frightening to us that twenty-two veterans commit suicide daily because of fighting in a war.

    We look forward to blogging the next question with you.

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  11. Blog #4 Group #3

    It is important to know and to understand the different perspectives regarding the use of weapons of mass destruction. It is very useful to have multiple perspectives to fully understand something and whether or not to do something again. In the book, Bomb: The Race To Build-And-Steal The World’s Most Dangerous Weapon, Sheinkin explains the following perspectives: scientific, military, political, and those of the Japanese/civilians.
    To begin, scientists like Oppenheimer believed that stopping the war could help both sides of the warring nations. Sheinkin explicitly stated on page 206, “While Oppenheimer tried to steer the conversation to the topic of international cooperation, the goal of stopping the arms race before it could begin.” This proves that some scientists would have liked to win the war and dominate, but some like Oppenheimer felt like the best thing to do was to stop the war because they did not want the race for atomic weapons to continue. We can infer that Oppenheimer would rather have saved his country than continue fighting in wars. Logic says Oppenheimer, example for the scientist’s perspective, would rather there be peace than war.
    Next, the military perspective is that Groves and other military leaders do not want to see civilian lives taken, but if necessary, they understand the reason and why it needs to be done. Sheinkin explicitly states on page 110, “Haukelid relayed the details to British intelligence in London, saying that the job would be tricky and might result in loss of civilian lives.” This shows the extent the military would go for a good reason, like beating the Germans to the atomic bomb. This proves that the military does not favor killing the civilians, but they understand it is a needed task to save millions more.
    Then, the Japanese political and military leaders were divided in perspective. The political side believed in surrender while the military leaders believed in fighting instead of losing pride. Sheinkin explicitly stated on page 204, “And still, the debate continued in Tokyo. Political leaders urged surrender while military leaders refused.” This evidence shows how the political leaders and the military leaders did not work well together. We can infer that if the political leaders would have had their way in the beginning, Nagasaki and Hiroshima would not have been bombed. All in all, political leaders in Japan understood that the atomic bomb was too much for them and realized the only option was to surrender.
    And finally, the Japanese civilian perspective needs to be addressed. The Japanese civilian perspective shows how the survivors or witnesses felt when the bomb fell onto their cities. Sheinkin explicitly stated on page 196, “He passed people with horrible burns, their faces swollen, their blackened skin hanging in strips. Bodies on the ground, bodies floating in the river.” And, “I cannot describe the countless tragic things I saw,” he said.” The text shows that the Japanese were horrified by the sight the bomb left. We can infer that the Japanese were full of sadness, fear, and hate. We conclude that the Japanese perspective is the most important because it tells us firsthand about the bomb’s power of destruction.
    To end, the weapons of mass destruction are very powerful and could cause much devastation. To think that we have more weapons that ensue much more destruction today that can be used is mind blowing; we could all be dead in just a few days. But seeing all the perspectives lets us know the seriousness of atomic weapons and why it is so smart with whom we elect in government offices.

    We look forward to your response.

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  12. Blog #5 Group #3

    The summary on page 236, of the book Bomb: The Race To Build-And-Steal The World’s Most Dangerous Weapon, written by Steve Sheinkin, means that atomic bombs can save many lives and end wars, but they can be used on any country by any country. It means that even today there will always be a threat of weapons of mass destruction. Sheinkin explicitly states on page 185, “Oppenheimer thought of a line from the ancient Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita, a dramatic moment in which the god Vishnu declares: Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.” and on page 236, “It’s a story with no end in sight.” This textual evidence backs up our claim by showing that everything that happens in this world is our problem, and it is our responsibility to help fix or prevent these problems, for there may never be an end to the issue if nobody does anything about it. We can infer that the world will continue to be affected by the threat of weapons of mass destruction, and that the threat may never end. In the end, the threat of weapons of mass destruction will last forever if nothing happens to stop it, and because of that, people need to be aware and proactive! It is up to us; we truly are the future.

    We look forward to your response.

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