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Unit Six Introduction New Mexico today has more in common with the other parts of the United States than it has ever had. This is because all of us live in the modem world. We all have access to the latest advances in technology. We all know in an instant what is going on in the rest of the world. At the same time, New Mexico suffers from an identity crisis. Many people from elsewhere confuse our state with “old” Mexico. Indeed, every issue of the New Mexico Magazine has a feature called, “One of Our Fifty Is Missing.” Included here are stories about how people have mistaken New Mexico for a foreign country. Even our license plates say on them, “New Mexico, U.S.A.” New Mexicans, to be sure, are proud of who they are. They are proud of their heritage. They are proud of their diverse cultures. But they are also Americans who are proud of their contributions to modern history. They, too, survived depression and a second world war. They, too, have witnessed great changes in the world and in theft lives since the war’s end. You will read about New Mexico since 1930 in the chapters that follow. In Chapter 16 you will learn about New Mexico during the Great Depression and World War II. In Chapter 17 you will read about New Mexico’s development since the end of World War II. In Chapter 18 you will read about New Mexico today. 332 Chapter 10 Depression and World War What you will learn in this chapter— New Mexicans throughout the 1900s have witnessed many changes in their lives. They have witnessed many changes in the land that is New Mexico. You read about some of these changes in the last chapter. You will read about other changes in this chapter. Some of the changes that occurred were the result of major events. These events affected people outside as well as inside New Mexico. During the 1930s, for example, New Mexicans like other Americans felt the effects of hard times. The coming of a second world war and the war itself also touched people from all walks of life across the country. How New Mexicans were affected by these major events is the subject of this chapter. You will learn about the effects of the Great Depression on New Mexico and its people. You will also learn about the involvement of New Mexicans in World War II. As you read, you will find information divided into the following sections: THE GREAT DEPRESSION NEW DEAL PROGRAMS AND POLITICS THE START OF WORLD WAR II HELPING TO WIN THE WAR 333 THE GREAT DEPRESSION Words to know depression Dust Bowl tenant farmer migrant work The Great Depression begins. In the last chapter you read about New Mexico in the 1920s. You may recall that most New Mexicans prospered during that decade. Farmers and ranchers were an exception. They sold less after World War I. Elsewhere, the story was much the same. Indeed, the 1920s were one of the most prosperous decades in American history. All that, however, began to change in 1929. In that year the stock market crashed. Hard times followed. There had been trouble spots in the nation’s economy in the 1920s. Farming had been one such trouble spot. Others had been the overproduction of consumer goods and stock market speculation. Worldwide, economies had suffered from the effects of the world war. What the stock market crash did was to set off a chain of events. These events led the United States deeper and deeper into depression. Depression is a term used to describe an extremely troubled economy. A depression is a time of falling business. It is a time of great unemployment. This unemployment, in turn, leads to less demand for goods. Less demand for goods, in turn, leads to lower prices. The spiral downward into depression then continues. It leads to still more unemployment and still less demand for goods. The depression of the 1930s is called the Great Depression. It is called the Great Depression for two reasons. (1) It was the worst depression in our nation’s history. Millions of people could not find jobs. At the depth of the depression, nearly 25 percent of the workers were jobless. Some Americans even starved to death. (2) The depression was a long, drawn-out problem. It lasted throughout the 1930s. It did not end until the United States got caught up in World War II. New Mexico’s farmers and ranchers are hard hit. In New Mexico and elsewhere farmers did badly. By 1931 the state’s most important crops were worth about half their 1920 value. Farmers on the eastern plains were hardest hit. They suffered from the high costs of running a farm. 334 They suffered from a lack of rainfall. Indeed, they were part of a regional disaster known as the Dust Bowl. The Dust Bowl region lacked moisture. It was also hit by high winds. From Oklahoma to eastern New Mexico the winds picked up the dry land. They blew away great clouds of topsoil. So thick was the dust that it filled the air. People could not see more than a foot or two in any direction. In Des Moines, New Mexico, a farmer remembers a dust storm that suffocated his turkey. The turkey hen had roosted in an old barrel. She was found buried up to her neck in dust. In the Estancia Valley the people remember the dust storms just as well. Dust clouds killed entire crops of pinto beans. They transformed the once productive valley into “the valley of broken hearts.” One eyewitness on the plains east of Las Vegas recalled, The land, between the years 1932 and 1935, became a dust bowl. . . The winds blew and the land became desolate and abandoned. Gradually the grass and other vegetation disappeared and the stock began to perish. . . In the mornings upon rising from bed, one’s body was imprinted on the sheets which were covered with sand.. . The whole world around us was a thick cloud of dust. The sun was invisible and one would scarcely venture into the outdoors for fear of breathing the foul grit. In all parts of New Mexico, farm land dropped in value. It bottomed out at an average of $4.95 an acre. This was the lowest value for an acre of land in the whole country. Nationwide the average value of an acre of farm land was $31.16. Many farmers in New Mexico had few or no crops to sell. As a result, they fell behind in their taxes. They could not pay off their debts. Some farmers had their land taken over by creditors. Others sold their land for what they could get. So, farm land values dropped. Having been forced off their land, some farmers became tenant farmers. They farmed land that was owned by someone else. Tenant farmers paid rent in crops or money to the land owners. >>>This dust cloud, which measured 1,500 feet high and a mile across, rolled over Clayton on May 28, l937.The dust was so thick that one could not see lights burning across the street. 335 <<<Besides coal mining, the town of Madrid was famous for its Christmas display (in the background). (Photo 1940) Other farmers who lost their land became migrant workers. They traveled from place to place. They harvested crops grown by someone else. Still other farmers forced off their land could find no work. New Mexico’s cattle ranchers were also hard hit by the depression. They, too, suffered from drought. They, too, suffered from the depressed economy. Grass lands dried up. Ranchers raised fewer cattle. They watched the value of livestock decline. They watched the value of their land decline. Many ranchers fell behind in their taxes and other payments. They were like so many of the region’s farmers. They were forced to sell their land. This land was bought by large ranchers. The result was larger cattle ranches in New Mexico. Mining is hurt. The depressed condition of farming and ranching had a harsh effect on New Mexico’s economy. New Mexico was, after all, still largely a rural state. Most of its people in the 1930s made their livings by raising crops and livestock. At the same time, the depression hurt other parts of the state’s economy. A decline in mining had begun during the 1920s. It continued during the 1930s. Coal production, for example, was just 1.7 million tons in 1936. In 1919, shortly after the end of World War I, coal production had peaked. In that year it had been two and one-half times greater than the 1936 figure. In addition, many mines were bought up by large companies during the 1930s. State and local governments are hurt. Besides mining, state and local governments felt the effects of depression. Governments had too little money to provide all the needed services. By early 1933 some 8,000 school-age children in New Mexico could not attend schools. Some school districts simply had no money to keep their doors open. Even successful businesses felt the depression. One of New Mexico’s oldest business families, for example, lost profits. In 1928 the Charles Ilfeld Company enjoyed a profit margin of 14.7 percent. Company prof336 its dropped to 2.2 percent in 1931. In 1932 the company lost money. Northern New Mexicans suffer. New Mexico’s northern villages suffered as well. Before 1930 many villagers had worked outside their villages to earn wages. After 1930 most villagers could not find outside work. Families did raise sheep and farm in northern New Mexico. Still, they were not able to support themselves. So in the 1930s, many northern New Mexicans sought help. Early in the depression help for those in need came from several sources. Churches did charity work. So did the Salvation Army and the community chests. Local offices for the needy also provided some relief. However, as the depression grew worse, local efforts were not enough. And state and local governments did not take up the slack. In part this was because they, too, were suffering from the depressed economy. As a result, major efforts to help the needy shifted in 1933 to the national government. SECTION REVIEW 1. Explain why the depression of the 1930s is called the Great Depression. 2. What was the Dust Bowl? 3. How did the value of farm products and farm land in New Mexico change? 4. What became of New Mexico farmers who were forced off their land? 5. How did the depression affect cattle ranching in New Mexico? 6. What effect did the depression have on mining? 7. What effect did the depression have on state and local governments and on private businesses? 8. Why were the northern New Mexico communities so hard hit by the depression? NEW DEAL PROGRAMS AND POLITICS Word to Know - relief Needy New Mexicans find help. Formal relief, meaning the government’s caring for people in need, was part of the New Deal. The New Deal 337 <<<NEW MEXICO’S COUNTIES was the name given to the programs of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt first won election to the presidency in 1932. Taking office in March 1933, he soon sent several New Deal relief measures to Congress. Congress quickly passed the acts that Roosevelt wanted. New Mexicans welcomed New Deal relief programs. In some counties more than half the people were enrolled in relief programs by 1935. This was most common in the eastern counties. Here, drought and dust storms made dry farming impossible. In Harding County, for example, 72.8 percent of the people were on relief. (See the map on this page.) In Torrance County the percentage on relief was 61.4. Catron County, hit by drought but not by severe dust storms, had a relief percentage of 58.7. All in all, 14 counties in northeastern and east-central New Mexico suffered from drought. The 338 Civilian Conservation Corps Many young men signed up for the Civilian Conservation Corps in New Mexico. They worked hard. Their results were astounding. A record of their achievements hangs on the wall of the state capital building, It has hung there since 1992. Here is what it says: US CCC “Spirit of the CCC” 1933—1942 plaque in the state capital building in Santa Fe, dedicated on the 59th Anniversary of the Founding of the CCC, March 31,1992 Civilian Conservation Corps During the Great Depression of the 1930’s when financial disaster, environmental ruin, 25% unemployment and hunger stalked this land, 54,500 Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) members served in New Mexico. They were part of the 3.5 million members, including 225,000 veterans in 4,500 camps throughout the nation. These members replenished our forests, built state and national parks, thousands of lakes, public buildings, dams, reservoirs, fish hatcheries, wildlife refuges, phone lines, roads and many other needed projects too numerous to mention. They restored Civil War battlefields, thousands of historic structures and millions of Dust Bowl acres in America’s heartland. In New Mexico, CCC members constructed the Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Refuge, Bandelier National Monument, the Southwest regional headquarters building for the National Park Service in Santa Fe and State parks including Hyde Park, River Park, Conchas, Elephant Butte and Bottomless Lakes Park. They made major improvements in Carlsbad Caverns, built 795 bridges, 658 dams and reservoirs, wells, many miles of roads, trails and fences, planted six million trees, restored Chaco Canyon Ruins and reseeded thousands of acres of grazing land. When WWII began, ex-CCC members made up about 20% of America’s armed forces. Their dead, which numbered in the tens of thousands, attest to their contributions to the cause of freedom. General George C. Marshall, Army Chief of Staff, later credited their training in the CCC as a major factor in America winning WWII. This tribute to the members of the Civilian Conservation Corps was requested by Senate Joint Memorial 16 of the 37th Legislature Second Session, 1986. It was brought to reality by the joint efforts of the Legislative Council and the New Mexico Roadrunner Chapter #14 of the National Association of the Civilian Conservation Corps Alumni (NACCCA). 339 <<< CCC projects such as this aided all parts of New Mexico. To protect the soil, CCC workers planted over a billion trees across the country. percentage of the people in these counties who were on relief varied. It ranged from a low of 24.3 percent to a high of 72.8 percent. Relief programs make jobs available. Some New Deal relief programs put people to work. One such program was the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The WPA employed people in many kinds of jobs. Writers, artists, and musicians practiced their trades as employees of the WPA. Others who worked for the WPA built schools and other public buildings. Some buildings at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque were built with WPA moneys. These include the library and the administration building. So was the high school in Clayton a WPA project. By 1936 more than 13,000 New Mexicans had found jobs through the WPA. New Deal programs help young people. Two other New Deal programs produced jobs for New Mexicans as well. The first was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). (See Special Interest Feature.) The second was the National Youth Administration (NYA). Both programs were designed to help young people. The CCC employed young men between the ages of 18 and 25. These young men worked in soil conservation projects. They worked in forest improvement projects. They lived in camps. Part of what they earned each month went directly to their families. A CCC branch for young Indian men employed them in flood control and irrigation projects. This CCC branch helped increase farm production on Pueblo lands. The NYA, the second program, emphasized job training. Those trained under the NYA received wages for their training. In Clayton, for example, young people learned skills in woodworking, metal work, adobe work, and weaving. The youth of Clayton then helped build their school. The NYA trained many people. The country would need these skilled workers when the Second World War began. Politics are affected by the depression. Trying to help Indians, Congress also passed what has been called the “Indian New Deal.” This 1934 New Deal program was outlined in the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA). 340 Its provisions did many things. It changed how some of New Mexico’s Indians lived. You will read about the IRA and other changes in Indian ways of living in the next chapter. New Deal programs brought relief to many thousands of New Mexicans. They kept up the spirits of the American people. But the New Deal did not bring an end to the depression. The 1930s remained a hard time for many New Mexicans. The 1930s were also a time of shifting political fortunes. The Republican party had long dominated New Mexico politics. In the 1930s it began to lose its power. The Republican party lost its power because it lost the support of Hispanic New Mexicans. Hispanic New Mexicans began to join the Democratic party in the early 1930s. They liked the New Deal programs of President Roosevelt, a Democrat. They also liked the 1935 appointment of a Hispanic New Mexican to the United States Senate. The new senator was Democrat Dennis Chavez. After 1935 the Hispanic bloc of voters supported the Democratic party. This support began a long period of Democratic control of New Mexico politics. There are some bright spots in the 1930s. New Mexicans had little to cheer about during the 1930s. At the same time, there were some bright spots. The population, for example, continued to grow. In its region New Mexico had the second greatest number of families new to one state. By 1940 the population was 531,818. Oil production grew as well. This increased oil production provided needed tax money to the state. Tourism remained strong during the 1930s. And the number of state parks grew. The increase in parks was aided by the national government. The government helped pay for the development of new state parks. >>>Senator Dennis Chavez was the most important Hispanic New Mexican leader in the 1900s. 341 So, New Mexico enjoyed some growth during the 1930s. But this growth was not great. Real growth awaited the end of the Great Depression. And end it did with the coming of World War II. SECTION REVIEW I. What kinds of jobs did the Works Progress Administration provide? 2. What New Deal programs especially helped young people? 3. What New Deal program is called the “Indian New Deal”? 4. Which political party came to power during the 1930s, and why did this change occur? THE START OF WORLD WAR II World War II begins. On September 3, 1939, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. This was two days after German armies invaded Poland. It marked the start of World War II. As the war continued, more and more countries were drawn into the fighting. The aggressor nations were the Axis powers. These nations were Germany and Italy. Japan joined the Axis in 1940. In Europe Germany overran one country after another. In May 1940 first German and then Italian armies invaded France. After the fall of France in June 1940, Great Britain stood alone. It was the only country in western Europe still fighting against the Axis powers. The Soviet Union joined the war on Britain’s side in June 1941. In that month German troops invaded Russia. The United States did not enter World War II until late 1941. Until then President Roosevelt and the Congress did take some action. For example, they lent aid to Great Britain and other countries who opposed the Axis powers. They also took steps to prepare this country for war. The war itself came to the United States on December 7, 1941. On that day the Japanese made a sneak attack on the United States. They bombed the American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. They sank many United States naval vessels. (See Special Interest Feature.) They also attacked the Philippines. On December 8 President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. The Congress honored this request the same day. Germany and Italy then declared war on the United States. So, the United States armed forces fought against both Japan and Japan’s allies. New Mexicans fight in the Philippines. New Mexico servicemen were 342 The U.S.S. New Mexico The U.S.S. New Mexico was a battleship. It saw much action during World War II. The ship had got its start as Battleship 40 in October 1915. All told, the ship took about one and a half years to build. It was finally launched on April 23, 1917. On hand for the christening of the new battleship were several special guests. Included was the daughter of New Mexico’s late governor, Margarita C de Baca. Miss C de Baca christened the New Mexico. She broke a bottle of champagne and water from the Rio Grande across its hull. Also present was the then Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt. He would later serve his nation as president. The New Mexico did not see action during World War I. Still, she was a grand ship. She measured 624 feet in length. She was 106 feet 3 inches wide. Her big guns had a range of nearly 10 miles. She carried a crew of 1,323 men. Between the two world wars the New Mexico became known as the queen of the Pacific Fleet. She was stationed in the Pacific until 1941. Then, she was transferred to the Atlantic Ocean and missed the attack on Pearl Harbor. After the attack the New Mexico returned to the Pacific. There, she remained for the rest of the war. The New Mexico was awarded six battle stars for her outstanding battle record. At the same time, she suffered great damage. In January 1945 she received a direct hit on her bridge. Twenty-nine men and the commanding officers were killed. Then, in May 1945, the ship received two hits. This time 54 men were lost. The New Mexico stayed on active duty despite the damage suffered. She was present at the surrender of the Japanese. But in 1946 she was sold for scrap. Her two bells, her helm, and other mementos were given to New Mexico. One of her bells hangs in the mall at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Her helm hangs on the wall at the university’s naval ROTC building. Her silver service has been on display at the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe, All are proud reminders of the brave ship and crew that served their country well. >>>The U.S.S. New Mexico 343 <<<At Camp Luna near Las Vegas, the soldiers of the 200th Coast Artillery train with 75-millimeter cannons. (Photo August 1940) among the first Americans to see action in World War II. The day before Congress declared war, New Mexico National Guardsmen fought in the Pacific. They had been members of the National Guard 111th Cavalry. In 1940 the 111th had become part of the 200th Coast Artillery, Anti-Aircraft Regiment. The troops of the 200th had arrived in the Philippines in September 1941. These islands belonged at that time to the United States. The regiment’s orders were to defend Clark Field and Ft. Stotsenberg. These bases lay 75 miles north of Manila, the Philippine capital. So, hundreds of New Mexicans were at Clark Field when the Japanese attacked it on December 7. The attack occurred some 10 hours after the strike on Pearl Harbor. The 200th regiment destroyed some low-flying Japanese fighter planes. The bombers, however, flew above the range of the antiaircraft guns. In January 1942 Japanese ground forces attacked the Philippines. Some New Mexico servicemen fought the Japanese as members of the 200th regiment. Others had become members of a newly formed unit. This was the 515th Coast Artillery Regiment. In time, the United States troops were ordered to withdraw to Bataan Peninsula. The peninsula was 30 miles long. The fighting was fierce. The badly outnumbered Americans and Filipinos suffered from hunger. Then, on April 9, 1942, the 78,000 American and Filipino soldiers surrendered to the Japanese. New Mexicans are war heroes. What followed has come to be called the Bataan Death March. The Japanese forced the captives, about 20,000 of whom were Americans, to march 65 miles to a railroad. The captives had no food or water. They had to march for six days. About 11,000 Americans and Filipinos died on the march. Of the captives who died, 4,000 were Americans, including many New Mexicans. Trains took some surviving captives to a Japanese prison camp. Ships took still others to prison camps in Japan. On board these ships yet more captives died. And within the camps, in both the Philippines and in Japan, thousands more died. Again, many were New Mexicans. Of 344 the 1,800 New Mexicans who served in the Philippines, only 900 returned home. A Bataan Memorial was built at Fort Bliss, Texas. Later moved to Santa Fe, the memorial includes our state’s eternal flame. It honors the brave New Mexicans who fought and died in the Philippines. SECTION REVIEW 1. Why did the United States enter World War II in December 1941? 2. Why were New Mexicans among the first Americans to see action? 3. How many New Mexicans fought in the Philippines, and why did half of them die? HELPING TO WIN THE WAR New Mexicans serve all over the world. The war lasted nearly four years. New Mexicans saw action wherever there was fighting. In fact, New Mexico had the highest casualty rate (dead and wounded) in the Union. One group of New Mexicans even played a special role in the war effort. These were the Navajos. The United States government used Navajos as code talkers. The code talkers translated secret military messages into the Navajo language. Upon their arrival the messages were decoded by other Navajos. This way of sending messages confused the Japanese. The Japanese never solved the code. In this way the Navajos made a major contribution to the American war effort. New Mexico’s resources are thrown into the war effort. The Navajos were joined by many other New Mexicans in helping win the war. A total of 49,579 New Mexicans were drafted into the armed forces. Congress passed the Selective Service Act in October 1940. The draft >>>This appeal for war bonds and stamps is in Spanish. Who does the person on the poster represent? 345 was then in effect until the end of the war. Other New Mexicans who served in the armed forces were volunteers. Indeed, New Mexico had the highest volunteer rate of any state. Thousands more helped the war effort in other ways. The state provided training programs for the army and navy. These programs were offered through the state’s colleges. They covered weather forecasting, preflight training, and other training. In some parts of the state, the national government built special camps. The camp at Santa Fe housed Japanese-Americans. These Japanese-Americans had been removed from the West Coast under orders from President Roosevelt. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, anti-Japanese feelings on the West Coast had broken out. People feared that the Japanese were a threat to the security of the West Coast. The president had reacted to these fears. He said that national security required the relocation of 112,000 Japanese-Americans. Nearly two-thirds of those relocated had been born in the United States. Sent to camps in New Mexico and other states, the Japanese-Americans remained there until war’s end. Camps at Roswell and Lordsburg held prisoners of war. They mainly housed Germans and Italians. New Mexico’s prisoner-of-war camps were among the largest in the nation. The state receives military installations. In some parts of the state, the national government built army air force bases. Some of these bases remain in place today. So, it was during World War II that New Mexico became an important military center. In 1911, for example, the state got the first of many bases. This was the Albuquerque Army Air Base. It is today Kirtland Air Force Base. A second base opened in Albuquerque in 1942. Also in 1942, bases opened in Clovis, Alamogordo, and Roswell. These bases came to be named Cannon, Holloman, and Walker air force bases. In addition, temporary wartime air bases existed at Hobbs, Deming, and Fort Sumner. And in 1945 the White Sands Proving Ground opened in south-central New Mexico. It is today called White Sands Missile Range. Wartime operations at Albuquerque’s bases showed how important New Mexico was as a military center. Early in the war the Albuquerque Army Air Base housed an air force advanced flying school. This school was a bombardier school. Renamed Kirtland Field in early 1942, the air base ran a school throughout the war. 346 Dr. Robert H. Goddard The rocket age came to New Mexico in 1930. In that year Dr. Robert H. Goddard moved to Mescalero Ranch near Roswell. There, he built and tested liquid-fueled rockets. Goddard’s earlier flight tests in Massachusetts had alarmed officials there. However, his work had caught the attention of Charles A. Lindbergh. Lindbergh had made the first solo airplane flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927. He then arranged private funding for Goddard’s tests. Goddard’s move to Roswell meant open spaces and good weather for bigger test flights. His work with liquid-fueled rockets made rapid progress. The first Roswell test occurred in December 1930. Goddard’s rocket flew 2,000 feet into the air. Goddard continued building rockets until October1941. A later model reached an altitude of 9,000 feet. Goddard’s research led to 214 patents for designing, powering, and guiding rockets. Yet the United States armed forces saw little of value in Goddard’s ideas. As World War II neared, they moved him East to develop airplane engines. German scientists, on the other hand, read his research reports. They used Goddard’s concepts to make rockets of their own. The deadly V-2 rockets, which bombed London, England, in 1944, followed Goddard’s design. After the war American soldiers captured Werner von Braun, Germany’s leading rocket scientist. Von Braun was asked to explain how the V-2 worked. He answered, Why don’t you ask Goddard how they work?” Goddard, however, had died on August 10, 1945. He had never returned to the Roswell test site. The United States finally honored Goddard in 1959. In that year he received the Congressional Gold Medal. This is our highest civilian award. Today Goddard High School in Roswell bears his name. >>>The Goddard Rocket Collection in the Roswell Museum 347 By 1945 Kirtland had trained 1,750 B-24 pilots and crew members. On a smaller scale Kirtland had also trained aviation mechanics and navigators. And in 1942 and 1943 it had doubled as a ground school for glider pilots. Its final wartime role was to train combat crews for the B-29 bomber. The army built Albuquerque’s second base east of Kirtland. This was the Albuquerque Air Depot Training Station. Opened in June 1942, the station trained crews to service, repair, and maintain aircraft. No longer needed as a training station after 1943, the base became an army air field. Still later the base became an army air force convalescent center. The center treated wounded pilots and crew members. In addition, it provided rest and recreation. The base again became an army air field in 1945. In that year its official name became Sandia Base. During the 1940s, then, New Mexico developed as one of the country’s military headquarters. It provided military training for the whole nation. It also helped lead the way in military research. (See Special Interest Feature.) The Manhattan Project gets started. At Los Alamos research furthered the development of the atomic bomb. The site of a boys’ ranch school until 1942, Los Alamos lies 20 miles northwest of Santa Fe. J. Robert Oppenheimer had attended the boys’ school there. It was he who told the United States government about Los Alamos. He urged the government to buy the school and surrounding land for atomic research. The government did so. It later established the Manhattan Project there. Oppenheimer helped head this project. The government sealed off the area in 1943. It brought in top scientists. Some were Jewish refugees from Hitler’s Germany. Research facilities were built, and some 7,000 people lived at the project site. The town of Los Alamos had been born. Yet no one outside the site was told what was happening. All aspects of the Manhattan Project were top secret. Numbers rather than names appeared on the drivers’ licenses of those who lived and worked at the project site. The address for Los Alamos was P. 0. Box 1663, Santa Fe. The atomic age begins. What went on inside the project was, of course, work on the atomic bomb. The bomb and the idea behind it were new. Not even those who built the bomb knew if it would work. The bomb first had to be tested. This test took place at Trinity Site on the White 348 Sands Proving Ground. The date was July 16, 1945. The test was a success. In fact, the blast was heard or the flash was seen all over the state. One traveler had just crossed from New Mexico into Arizona when Suddenly, the tops of high mountains by which we were passing were lighted up by a reddish, orange light. The surrounding countryside was illuminated like daylight for about three seconds. Then it was dark again. The experience scared me. It was just like the sun had come up and suddenly gone down again. Still, the new bomb remained a secret for three more weeks. Only after an atomic bomb was dropped on Japan did people everywhere learn of the new weapon. The site was Hiroshima, Japan. The date was August 6, 1945. In an instant, 75,000 Japanese died. President Harry S. Truman had made the decision to use the bomb. He believed that its use would save hundreds of thousands of American lives. He believed its use would force the Japanese to surrender. Japan did surrender to the United States. However, Japan surrendered only after a second atomic bomb was used. The United States dropped this bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9. With the surrender of the Japanese, World War II came to an end. New Mexico and its people had played a major role in the war effort. New Mexico was, among other things, the birthplace of the atomic age. It has remained a center of atomic research ever since. Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory carries on research for the Department of Energy. So does Sandia National Laboratories. Today, Sandia is a private corporation. It began as a subgroup of the Los Alamos Laboratory late in the war. Since that time Sandia has researched and developed nuclear weapons. It has also worked on new and improved sources of energy. Sandia National Laboratories is located on the military reservation in Albuquerque. It shares space with Kirtland Air Force Base. >>>Scientists inspect Ground Zero at Trinity Site. (Photo November 1945) 349 In the 1950s the Sandia-Kirtland complex led the way in planning nuclear tests. Since 1963 Kirtland has been the site of the Air Force Weapons Laboratory. As such, Kirtland is engaged in weapons research and development. New Mexico’s long-term role as a research center has brought money into the state. It has provided many jobs. Military and defense activity has also caused growth. During the war it brought people into the state. Many families stayed, and after the war New Mexico continued to grow. SECTION REVIEW 1. Who were the Navajo code talkers, and how did they help the war effort? 2. How did New Mexico’s casualty and volunteer rates during the war compare to those of other states? 3. What were the functions of the special camps built by the government in New Mexico? 4. Where was the Manhattan Project located, and what was its purpose? 5. According to the traveler in Arizona, what did it look as if the sun had done during the first atomic bomb test? 6. In what ways has New Mexico become a center for military and defense activities? 350 CHAPTER REVIEW Words You Should Know Find each word in your reading and explain its meaning. 1. depression 2. Dust Bowl 3. tenant farmer 4. migrant worker 5. relief Places You Should Be Able to Locate Be able to locate these places on the maps in your book 1. Harding County 2. Torrance County 3. Catron County 4. Clayton 5. Roswell 6. Lordsburg 7. Clovis 8. Alamogordo 9. Los Alamos Facts You Should Remember Answer the following questions by recalling information presented in this chapter. 1. Briefly explain the effects of the depression in New Mexico on each of the following: a. farming and cattle raising b. mining c. d. e. state and local government the villages of northern New Mexico state politics 2. In what ways did individual New Mexicans participate in World War II? 3. What contributions did New Mexico as a state make to the war effort? 4. Who are the following people, and why are they important? a. Dennis Chavez b. Franklin D, Roosevelt c. J. Robert Oppenheimer 351 Things You Can Make or Do Listed below are things you can make or do. Some items you can do on your own. Other items you can do as a member of a group. 1. Conduct an interview with a person who lived in New Mexico during the 1930s or 1940s. Ask the person to tell you something about life during the Great Depression or during World War II. Then, tell the class about that one person’s experiences. 2. Find out if there were any New Deal projects carried out in your community during the depression. Learn what you can about the project. Report your findings to the class. 3. Make a poster that shows something about the involvement of the United States in World War II. Your poster might ask young men to enlist in the armed forces. Your poster might ask people to buy savings bonds. Your poster might tell people why the rationing of items like gasoline, meat, coffee, and sugar is a necessary part of the war effort. Whatever poster you make, it should include a special appeal to New Mexicans. 4. Make a model of a World War II battleship like the U.S.S. New Mexico. Or make a model of some other World War II ship, airplane, tank, or weapon of war. 5. Form a committee to find out more about the Manhattan Project. You might focus on one or more of the project’s scientists. You might focus on Los Alamos. Or you might focus on the testing of the atomic bomb at White Sands Proving Ground. 351