Washington Examiner

Who was J. Robert Oppenheimer truly?

Oppenheimer:⁤ The Man ​Behind the Atomic Bomb

With his life’s ‍story hitting the big screen on Friday, J. Robert Oppenheimer’s life has come⁣ under renewed attention. ⁢The renowned theoretical physicist, set to be⁤ played by Cillian Murphy in Christopher Nolan’s new film,‍ was key to the ​United States’s ⁢Manhattan Project, the quest for the atomic⁢ bomb. Largely due to his efforts as director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during World War ⁤II, the U.S. beat its competitors in obtaining the first nuclear weapon on July 16, 1945.

Who was Oppenheimer?

Oppenheimer was ⁢born ⁣in New York City in 1904 to Jewish immigrant parents. He entered Harvard at⁣ the age⁣ of‍ 18, ⁤then became ​a professor of theoretical physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and the California Institute of Technology. He is credited as one of the founding⁤ fathers of theoretical physics. Oppenheimer would ⁢marry ⁣Katherine ⁤”Kitty”⁤ Oppenheimer, who he met while ⁢teaching at Berkeley, in‍ 1940. They would have two children together, Peter and‌ Katherine.

Work on the Manhattan Project

By the time of ‌his recruitment by Gen. Leslie Groves into the Manhattan Project,‍ the code⁢ name for the ⁢U.S. effort ​to obtain the first⁣ atomic bomb, in ⁣the fall of 1942, Oppenheimer had⁣ already been studying a potential ‌atomic bomb for some time. On July‍ 16, 1945, ⁢a team ⁤assembled by Oppenheimer gathered in the desert to observe the Trinity test, where the⁢ first atomic bomb was successfully detonated. Two months later, ​two of the ‍newly constructed bombs ‌were dropped on the⁢ Imperial Japanese‍ cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,⁣ bringing​ an end to World War II, the most destructive ‌war⁤ in ⁢human​ history.

Controversy and Communist Links

Throughout his career, Oppenheimer’s ⁢relationship with communism drew immense scrutiny ‌and controversy. Concerns over his connections reached a head in 1953 when his security clearance was revoked over suspicions ‌from the U.S. government.⁢ His⁢ public trial drew attention⁤ and support from scientific figures⁣ all around‍ the world.

Conservatives⁢ claimed that he was a communist and Soviet spy and ⁣had passed atomic‍ secrets to the Soviets, leading them to obtain their ‌own nuclear weapons shortly after the U.S. ⁢While Oppenheimer had given money to communist causes, he denied being a⁢ communist or ⁣Soviet spy.​ Defenders‌ of Oppenheimer, such as curator Hayden Peake, point to the fact that he had no role⁤ in bringing the two confirmed Soviet spies, Klaus‌ Fuchs ‍and Ted Hall, into ‌the project. They also note that the ‌Soviets ⁣should have been able to⁤ get the ⁢atomic bomb much ‍sooner if Oppenheimer were‍ truly feeding them information.

However, as historians John ‍Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr wrote in Venona: Decoding Soviet Espionage in America, Oppenheimer was confirmed to ‍have deep ties with communist organizations ‍before the start of the Manhattan Project, and‌ his attempts⁢ to ⁤obfuscate this truth draw ⁢skepticism ​on his broader denials. “He was not simply a casual Popular Front liberal who ignorantly bumped up against ⁣the‌ Party in some of the⁣ arenas‌ in which it operated,” they⁣ wrote. “Throughout his life Oppenheimer declined ‌to⁤ provide a detailed or accurate accounting of his relationship with the CPUSA in the late 1930s and early⁣ 1940s.” Oppenheimer’s personal connections with communists were well known. His wife was‍ an official member of⁢ the Communist Party of‌ the U.S., ⁣formerly working as a writer for a communist paper. Her first‍ husband was killed while serving as a communist political commissar for the ⁢Republicans during the Spanish Civil War. His other lover Jean Tatlock⁣ was a communist as well.

Death and Legacy

His record was officially cleared prior to his​ death, with Presidents John ‍F. ‍Kennedy​ and Lyndon B. ⁣Johnson publicly honoring him. Oppenheimer famously became highly critical⁣ of the weapon ⁣he designed in later years,⁢ taking a pacifistic approach ⁣to the nuclear arms race. Oppenheimer died ⁤of throat cancer in 1967; his funeral was attended‍ by ‌over‌ 600 people.

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