Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-12-28
Birth Of Atomic Bomb
Is Biggest News Story
OF Year 10 Editors
BY CHARLES HONCE,

oI SuAnLES dONCE,
up Newaeatures Writer.
The dropping of the atomic bomb,
ushering in the Atomic Age, was the
biggest news story of 1945, in the
opinion Of Associated Press news
paper editors answering poll by
AP Newsfeatures.
Here is how the editors voted:
/. THE ATOMIC AGE OPENS
august 81. THE most terrible de-
structive force ever harnessed by
man-atomic energy" was the de-
scription Of the weapon used against
the Japanese island base of Hiro-
shima. President Truman told the
story to a stunned and hardly I'M
Outstanding world Is hours later.
By the end of the year the use of
atomic energy, either for good or
for evil, had become the topic of
millions Of words In stories all over
the globe. AS 1916 is about to dawn
it remains the worlds greatest ques-
ton mark.
z. JAPAN SURRENDERS (Au-
gust 14. World War II, history's
greatest flood of death and destruc-
ton, came to an end on this date
with Japan's unconditional surren-
der. The only possible surprise ele-
ment was the rapidity with which
Japan folded up after Germany COL
lapsed. Japar's dream of a vast CO.
prosperity sphere for East Asia was
dissipated and the groundwork was
laid for the reduction of the grasp
ing empire of the Rising Sun to q
tenth rate agricultural country.
3. GERMANY COI,LAPSES May
. and HITLER DIES co. For CEN
turtles Germanic tribes have been
spilling out of their homeland on
missions of conquest. Modern days
and modern civilization brought no
change In this spirit of ruthlessness
In the last 80 years the Germans
fought five wars, the first three OF
them successful. Nineteen eighteen
brought one stunning defeat, but 1t
was not enough. A new Caesar
bearing the prosaic name of Adolf
Hitler-made q final try at world
conquest. He and the nation that
sheepishly followed him went down
to such utter and devastating defeat
before a world coalition that the
earth is likely to be freed forever
from the German urge of conquest
Hitler, himself, a broken and gibber-
ing wreck of a man, Is presumed to
have died in his chancellery with
his body destroyed by fire. His sue
cessors surrendered what little was
left of a broken Germany at 2:41
(French time) Monday, May 7.
Disputes Mark Early Peace Days.
4. MR.. ROOSEVELT DIES april
10. IT have terrific headache -
President Franklin D. Roosevelt said
to Comdr. Harold Burenn, naval
physician. The scene was Warm
Springs, Ga. A few hours later the
Commander i'm Chief In America S
greatest war was dead of a cerebral
hemorrhage and Harry S. Truman
was President. The tragic passing
of Mr.. Roosevelt in the early months
of his unprecedented fourth term
came almost at the end of a conflict
which had taxed his enormous
strength to the final breaking point.
5. LABOR DISPUTES. The end
of the war brought many pressing
problems. none more attention-com-
polling than that facing labor and
management in reconversion to q
peacetime economy. A strike in the
vast General Motors empire and q
threatened strike in the great steel
industry high lighted the problem
as Government and leaders sought
peace formulas.
6. THE UNITED NATIONS SET
UP HOUSEKEEPING (April. Al
San Francisco on April IS peace.
loving nations of the world met tt
set up an organization by which they
hoped to maintain global ACCORD
forever. The San Francisco nego.
tiations followed a lengthy series oil
gatherings designed to iron out thu
worlds economic and political ills
Organization stress and strains still
were a source Of concern at thu
years end, with virtually all prob.
lens carrying over into 1916.
7. BRITAIN SWINGS TO THE
LEFT (July 26). A pudgy little man
forever smoking long black cigar
wearing an airplane suit whenever
the spirit moved him, and smiling
like some cherub out Of a Christmas
fantasy, epitomized the British
Commonwealth through most Of
the war. Came victory and British
voters relegated him and his party
to a back seat as Labor govern.
ment took over in landslide cleo
tions on July S.
Pearl Harbor Stays in News.
8. SPOTLIGHT ON PEARL
HARBOR. Remember Pearl Har-
Dor" was Americas battle cry dur
ing the Pacific war. With the end
of war, however, Pearl Harbol
was more in the news than ever
Preliminary reports on the Japa.
nese attack on our Hawaiian Nava.
Base were made during the conflict
Now the whole story is coming out
in Washington through a congress
sional inquiry. This was touched
off on August 20 when President
Truman made public reports OF
Army and Navy investigators on
the sneak japanese attack.
9. NAzI TOP CRIMINALS GO
ON TRIAL (November 20). The
scene is Nuremberg, Germany, prob
ably the most devastated of all Ger
man cities. 1t once was the scene
of Nazi ponp and splendor. On this
day of November 20, however, a
strangely assorted score of gloomy
Nazis sat dejectedly before an in.
ternational military tribunal tt
hear themselves accused of murder
plumber. horror and torture. Her.
mann Goering, Rudolf Hess, Mar
shall Wilhelm Keitel and their CO.
defendants thus were brought to
book in the final chapter of the
bloody Nazi story.
10. OSTWAR UPHEAVALs
PLAGUE THE WORLD. Wher
the armistice was signed on Novem-
Der II. 1918, bringing to conclu-
sion the first world conflict, the
peace was hailed everywhere as the
end of wars forever. A statistician
later mo de a rheck and "a mo m the