The Beginning of the End

A prelude newsreel frames the film as part of a package of information about the development of atomic energy. It hints that the atomic bomb may be sealed in a California time capsule to be opened in 2446. The tone mixes scientific awe with a warning about the power to reshape history.

Physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer acknowledges the achievement and potential of atomic energy, praising the scientific breakthrough. He also cautions about the destructive potential and moral consequences of the weapon. His stance sets the film's tension between wonder and peril.

American scientists reveal that the atom has been split and that Allied progress has outpaced the German effort. They inform President Roosevelt that a monumental discovery has been made. The moment frames atomic science as a matter of national security.

In 1941, Roosevelt authorizes up to two billion dollars for the Manhattan Project to develop an atomic bomb. The funding marks a turning point, mobilizing scientists, industry, and defense under a single national program. The decision launches a secret, massive effort that reshapes wartime strategy.

December 1942 marks the first sustained nuclear chain reaction, observed under the stands at the University of Chicago. Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Nixon and international experts watch as scientists demonstrate a controlled release of energy. The milestone validates the feasibility of an atomic bomb program.

Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Nixon is assigned to General Leslie Groves, who is placed in charge of coordinating the project's scientific, industrial, and defense components. Groves begins consolidating resources and personnel across sites. The organizational framework for the bomb's development takes shape.

Following Roosevelt's death in 1945, President Harry S. Truman continues support for the program. The project relocates to Los Alamos, New Mexico, becoming the central hub for design and assembly. Momentum toward deployment accelerates as the war presses on.

In July 1945, Truman authorizes the use of the atomic bomb to compel Japan toward surrender. The decision reflects strategic calculations about casualties, timing, and ending the war. Military planners prepare for rapid deployment in the Pacific theater.

Cochran and Nixon are assigned to accompany the crew transporting the bomb to Tinian. The operation marks the transition from development to deployment. Tinian Island becomes the staging ground for the final assembly and delivery.

While assembling the bomb, Cochran comes into contact with radioactive material and dies. His death underscores the latent dangers of handling dangerous isotopes during production. The loss reverberates through the team and families involved in the project.

On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The attack marks a grim milestone in warfare and global politics. The event triggers immediate and long-term consequences for Japan and the world.

After the mission, Nixon returns home to break the news of Cochran's death to Cochran's wife. The personal toll of the project becomes part of the public narrative as families are affected. The story closes with the human cost behind the scientific achievement.