Analysis: Atomic Energy and International Trade
The analysis of atomic energy and international trade delves into the historical context surrounding nuclear technology following World War II. In November 1945, U.S. Secretary of State James Byrnes addressed global concerns regarding nuclear weapons and the potential for an arms race, particularly in light of the recent atomic bombings in Japan. He emphasized the need for strict regulation of atomic energy to ensure its use for peaceful purposes and proposed the establishment of an international body to oversee these regulations. Byrnes also argued for the importance of free trade as a pathway to economic recovery for devastated nations, asserting that trade barriers could lead to mistrust and conflict. By advocating for loans to rebuild infrastructure and encourage trade with American goods, Byrnes believed that economic cooperation would foster global peace. This analysis reflects on the intricate relationship between nuclear policy and economic strategies in the aftermath of a catastrophic war, highlighting the shared responsibility of nations in creating a safer world.
Analysis: Atomic Energy and International Trade
Date: November 16, 1945
Author: James F. Byrnes
Genre: speech
Summary Overview
James Francis Byrnes was the secretary of state under President Harry S. Truman when he delivered a speech summarizing the positions of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada on the issues of nuclear technology and international trade. It was broadcast over the radio in November 1945, shortly after the end of World War II. The three nations that met were the ones that had shared technology to help create the first atomic weapon, used by the United States against Japan to devastating effect. Since the United States was the only nation to have this capability in 1945, it took steps to ensure that other countries, particularly the Soviet Union, would not be able to develop an atomic weapon, while assuring the world that it was interested in sharing information on the promise of nuclear power generation. Byrnes assured his listeners that information about atomic energy would be released only when it was certain that it could be controlled, and there was an international body set up to regulate its use. Byrnes also presented the argument for free and unrestricted international trade, supported by loans from the United States, as the United States and its allies saw atomic regulation and economic freedom as key factors for peace in the postwar world.
Defining Moment
In 1942, afraid that Germany would develop an atomic weapon, the United States, with the support of Great Britain and Canada, began a secret research-and-development project called the Manhattan Project. The project was headed by physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and engaged top scientists, many expatriates from Europe, in the race to develop an atomic weapon. On July 16, 1945, the first successful test of this weapon was held in the desert in New Mexico. On August 6 and 9, two atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing over a hundred thousand people instantly, and dooming many more to die of aftereffects, such as burns, radiation poisoning, and cancer. The bombs were dropped by executive order of President Truman, at the recommendation of top advisers, including Secretary of State Byrnes. The atomic bombing of Japan was seen by many as the only alternative to an invasion that would potentially cost hundreds of thousands of lives, and it was, therefore, justified as a necessary evil. It also sent a strong message to the rest of the world, particularly the Soviet Union, that the United States held a serious military advantage. Having demonstrated the power of atomic weapons to the world, the United States rushed to ensure that the technology needed to make these weapons was protected, while arguing that atomic energy could be used for peacetime purposes, once it was properly regulated.
In addition to Japan, most of the major industrial centers of the world had been devastated by the bombing campaigns of World War II. Long-standing trade relationships were also destroyed. Millions of civilians were displaced and relied on food aid from the United Nations. Transportation networks lay in ruins, and the economic structures of European nations were in shambles—most had exhausted all of their resources and amassed crippling debt. The United States and Canada had avoided damage to their infrastructure, and despite billions of dollars spent on the war, the United States economy was booming. As nations around the world considered how best to rebuild their shattered economies, the United States reminded them that many had signed agreements during the war pledging to reduce trade barriers (which would clearly be advantageous to the United States). The United States believed that economic aid in the form of loans to other nations would open up markets for American goods, while providing financing to rebuild shattered infrastructure and industry.
Author Biography
James Francis Byrnes was born in 1882 in Charleston, South Carolina. His father died when he was young, and Byrnes left school to work in a law office. Byrnes apprenticed with a lawyer and passed the bar in 1903 without attending law school. He served as a circuit court solicitor in South Carolina until 1910, when he was elected a US congressman as a Democrat. Byrnes resigned this position to run for the US Senate in 1924; when he lost, he returned to private law practice. In 1930, he ran for the Senate again and won. Byrnes was a close political ally and personal friend of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and he was influential in the passing of Roosevelt's New Deal legislation. In 1941, Roosevelt appointed Byrnes a Supreme Court justice. He resigned from the court in October 1942 to head the wartime Office of Economic Stabilization and then the Office of War Mobilization. After Roosevelt's death, President Truman appointed Byrnes secretary of state, and he served until 1947. He then returned again to private law practice before being elected governor of South Carolina in 1951. He retired in 1955 and died in his home state on April 9, 1972.
Document Analysis
Byrnes's radio address follows a meeting of President Truman, Prime Minister Clement Attlee of the United Kingdom, and Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King of Canada to address what they saw as the key issues of the day for global security: nuclear technology and international trade. Byrnes asserts that the recent atomic bombing of Japan had proven that the world could not survive an atomic war. To try to avoid the specter of a global nuclear arms race, he says the three nations are calling for a United Nations commission to be set up to ensure that atomic energy will only be used for peaceful purposes. Until there are sufficient regulations in place, “secrets of production know-how must be held” by the United States. In the meantime, the world would have to trust that the United States would not use atomic weapons “as a diplomatic or military threat against any nation.” Ultimately, responsibility for keeping the world safe is to be shared by all: “Without the united effort and unremitting cooperation of all the nations of the world, there will be no enduring and effective protection against the atomic bomb.”
Equally critical to the pursuit of world peace is economic cooperation because “political peace and economic warfare cannot long exist together.” Barriers to trade lead to mistrust and disunity, says Byrnes, while trade between nations is a strong incentive to maintain peace. However, he warns that the devastation of World War II has created the risk that the world will break apart into competitive trading blocs as countries strive to rebuild. The United States should, therefore, make loans to nations that would then rebuild their commercial infrastructure and, in turn, spend money on American goods; thus, says Byrnes, “America, in helping them, will be helping herself.” Liberal trade relations will lead to general prosperity, which, in turn, will keep the world at peace. Byrnes outlines specific steps that need to be taken to relieve world trade of “burdensome restrictions,” including the removal of tariffs and quotas, and tight regulation of the use of subsidies. International cartels and monopolies should be prevented, and trade relations overseen by a governing body under the United Nations—the proposed International Trade Organization.
By referring both atomic energy regulation and trade relations to the United Nations, the United States demonstrated its confidence and full commitment to the organization—knowing that the League of Nations had failed, in part, because the United States had declined to become a member. After this latest world war, however, the United Nations would have the “wholehearted and enthusiastic support” of the United States.
Glossary
buttressing: the use of any external prop or support to steady a structure; to prop up; to encourage or support
cartels: an international syndicate, combine or trust formed especially to regulate prices and output in some field of business
disseminated: scattered or spread widely; broadcast
Bibliography and Additional Reading
Luard, Evan. A History of the United Nations: The Years of Western Domination, 1945–1955. New York: Macmillian, 1982. Print.
Robertson, David. Sly and Able: A Political Biography of James F. Byrnes. New York: Norton, 1994. Print.
Schlesinger, Stephen C. Act of Creation: The Founding of the United Nations. Cambridge: Perseus, 2004. Print.