Page 22 of The Women of Oak Ridge
“Well, for one thing, the railroad cars arrived full, but they always left empty. Made me wonder what was being manufactured inside those massive buildings, and why nothing was ever shipped out. Most people who worked in Oak Ridge weren’t allowed in different areas of the Reservation, but my job as an MP gave me access to the whole place. I’d pick up information here and there and sort of piece it together, like a big ol’ puzzle.” A smug look crossed his face. “By early 1945, I’d figured things out. At least, as much as I could. I didn’t know about Los Alamos, of course, and I didn’t understand about fission and isotopes and all that scientific stuff, but I had a suspicion we were working on some kind of new bomb.”
“Then you must not have been surprised when you heard the news about Little Boy being dropped on Japan.”
He slowly shook his head. “No, I wasn’t surprised.”
“What did you think about it? About the role Oak Ridge played in its development?”
He pressed his lips together and didn’t answer right away. “War is a terrible thing. Millions of people had been killed in Europe before the US even got involved. Then Pearl Harbor was attacked, which meant Americans were dying now. When would it stop? No one knew the answer. By May of ’45, we’d defeated Hitler and Germany, but Japan refused to surrender. President Truman and those in power had to consider what would happen if wedidn’tuse the bomb on Japan. How long would the war continue? How many more Americans would die before it ended?”
He paused, then faced me.
“I know there are people who don’t think we should have usedthe bomb, especially after learning that most of the Japanese citizens killed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were women and children. That is a terrible, heartbreaking fact. It’s easy to look back on history and make judgement calls about what should or shouldn’t have been done. We can debate the decision to use the bomb from now until eternity, but it won’t change things. All we can do is learn from it and pray a weapon like that is never used again.”
His eyes narrowed in thought. “But to answer your question, I believe using the atomic bomb was a dreadful but necessary wartime decision that ultimately brought an end to the fighting. Japan refused to surrender unconditionally. After the bombings, that is exactly what they did. I don’t think anyone who worked at Oak Ridge should ever feel guilty about what he or she did, especially since the vast majority were unaware of their role in it all.”
I appreciated his honest answer.
We moved on to more general questions about Oak Ridge during and after the war. It wasn’t long before Jonas returned. His transformation left me a bit speechless.
Gone was the intimidating police detective. No longer wearing his uniform, he’d changed into jeans, a bright orange University of Tennessee T-shirt that showed off his muscles, and sneakers.
“I’m ready whenever you are, Miss Willett.”
I stood and thanked Elliot for his time. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”
“Come back anytime. I have lots more stories.”
Jonas and I left the house. He approached the Camaro.
“This is a really nice car,” he said, appreciation in his eyes. When his gaze returned to me, he seemed to hold back a grin. “Not exactly the kind of car I would’ve guessed you drove.”
I didn’t take offense. “What kind of car would you put me in?”
He angled his head, as though sizing me up. “Maybe a VW or a Honda. Something small and economical.”
I had to laugh. He was spot-on. “I confess if it had been up to me to purchase my own ride, those would have been in the running. But my dad bought this for me when I graduated from college. I think he loves it as much as I do.”
“Ah, now it makes sense.” He indicated the black Ford Bronco parked at the curb. “But if you don’t mind, we’ll leave it here and take mine.”
He opened the passenger door and I climbed in. After he’d settled behind the wheel, he met my gaze.
“Are you ready to discover the mysteries of the Secret City, Miss Willett?”
A thrill rushed through me. “Lead the way, Detective Tyson.”
