ABSTRACT
The nuclear age was born in the embers and human horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Atomic bombs first dropped on Japanese soil mark a tragic turning point in this century. Since those demented days in August 1945 the world of the atom has haunted international politics, profoundly shaped the content of scientific and technological invention, and scarred our modern psyche. What happened in Japan has become a frightening scientific paradigm used by the rest of the world as one measure of the potential consequences of unchecked atomic power. 1
