Truman, Einstein and John Foster Dulles each acknowledged, in different ways, that the UN Charter fell short of the atomic age. The piece credits the UN’s achievements but argues that, eighty years on, it has still not abolished war.
Eighty years ago the atomic age was born, with the first nuclear detonation near Alamogordo, New Mexico on July 16th, 1945. Only 20 days earlier, on June 26th, the United Nations had been established with the signing of the UN Charter in San Francisco. Did the bomb make the United Nations obsolete three weeks after its birth?
The single most important individual in these events, U.S. President Harry S. Truman, certainly seemed to think so. Consider the unique position of the man and the moment. Although Alamogordo was still three weeks away, Truman’s advisors had assured him by then that “success” was virtually certain. And he knew that he was the one human being on whom the yoke of decision would soon fall – regarding not only whether and how to use the ghastly new device against Imperial Japan, but what to do thereafter about the apocalyptic predicament about to descend upon all humanity. So what did he say at the signing of the document in San Francisco? “This is only a first step to a lasting peace … With our eye always on the final objective let us march forward … This Charter, like our own Constitution, will be expanded and improved as time goes on. No one claims that it is now a final or perfect instrument. Changing world conditions will require readjustments … to find a way to end wars”.
About the author
Tad Daley is a writer and policy analyst known for his advocacy of world federalism and nuclear disarmament.
Supranational Federalism, The World Citizens' Journal, is a quarterly in English edited by Guido Montani, honorary member of the Union of European Federalists. Published since September 2025 under the auspices of the Altiero Spinelli Institute for Federalist Studies in Ventotene, it seeks a dialogue between peoples, nations and civilisations on a just and peaceful world order founded on democratic supranational institutions. It is open to writers from every country and especially invites young people to contribute.
Cite this article in MLA style
Daley, Tad. “‘A Tragic Illusion’: Did the Atom Bomb Make the United Nations Obsolete Three Weeks After its Birth?” Supranational Federalism, Dec. 2025, https://federalists.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/S.F.-No-2.pdf. Republished in Mondial, https://mondial.press/articles/2025/12/a-tragic-illusion-did-the-atom-bomb-make-the-un-obsolete/.
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