Introduction — Oppenheimer: The man behind the movie
You’ll probably see the film. But what do you know about the man?
DIGITAL MAGAZINE
July 2023
DIGITAL MAGAZINE
July 2023
Cover design by Thomas Gaulkin. Image courtesy of Universal Pictures
Introduction — Oppenheimer: The man behind the movie
You’ll probably see the film. But what do you know about the man?
An extended interview with Christopher Nolan, director of Oppenheimer
The director of the film "Oppenheimer" tells of how he came to choose the "father of the atomic bomb" as the subject of a movie, and describes how he went about translating the physicist’s sprawling life—as laid out in the 700-plus-page, Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, "American Prometheus"—into a single film.
Oppie—“A very mysterious and delphic character.” Interview with Kai Bird, co-author of American Prometheus
Kai Bird, one of the co-authors of "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer"—which took 25 years to complete—explains why he once described biography as: “The hardest form of history. And the most expensive.”
Oppenheimer’s tragedy—and ours
In 1954, Robert Oppenheimer was subjected to what was rightly described as “an extraordinary American inquisition” under the name of a security hearing. But while harmful professionally and personally, the hearings were not Oppenheimer’s greatest tragedy—it was the success of his leadership in the creation of the weapon.
“He did not speak the ordinary language”: Memories of Oppie, from a Manhattan Project physicist
One of the last surviving eyewitnesses from the effort to build the first atomic bomb gives his impressions of the Manhattan Project’s driving force: J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Collateral damage: American civilian survivors of the 1945 Trinity test
The Trinity test site was chosen, in part, for its supposed remove from human inhabitation. Yet nearly half-a-million people were living within a 150-mile radius of the explosion, with some as close as 12 miles away. None were warned or evacuated by the US government ahead of time.
Nichols presents charges
Following is the text of a letter, dated December 23, 1953, from Major General K. D. Nichols, general manager of the Atomic Energy Commission, to Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Oppenheimer Replies
On March 4, 1954, Dr. Oppenheimer replied to General Nichols’ letter of December 23, 1953. The complete text is printed below.
The Oppenheimer case: A study in the abuse of law
A former Atomic Energy Commission legal officer’s account of how its top scientific adviser was deposed.
Bulletin statement on the Energy Department’s Oppenheimer decision
On December 16, 2022, the Department of Energy vacated the 1954 Atomic Energy Commission decision that revoked Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer’s security clearance. The Bulletin applauds this important decision.
Why what happened to Oppenheimer then is relevant now
A renewable energy scientist who resigned from his position during the Trump Administration contemplates the similarities—and differences—between his situation and what happened to Oppenheimer in the 1950s during the McCarthy era.
A timeline of Oppenheimer and his legacy
Oppenheimer may have passed away decades ago, but the thing he created lives on—as do the efforts to stop it from proliferating.
Hiroshima Memories
"Papa brought Mama's ashes home in his army handkerchief."
A foul and awesome display
My personal nightmare was knowing that if the bomb didn't go off or hangfired, I, as head of the test, would have to go to the tower first and seek to find out what had gone wrong.
A Japanese scholar gives her personal view on J. Robert Oppenheimer
I cannot give a broad, sweeping view of what every single person in Japan thinks of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. No one can. But as a researcher in international politics at a Tokyo university, I can give my own, personal viewpoint of the man, about whom I wrote a book in 1995.
The explosive musical score to Oppenheimer
Though the film was pervaded with music, it went mostly unnoticed in many moments. But this made the passages in which there is no music obvious in their striking silence —and how that silence represents the gravity of the situation.
Nuclear Notebook: French nuclear weapons, 2023
France’s nuclear stockpile of approximately 290 warheads has remained stable in recent years, but significant modernizations are underway regarding ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, submarines, aircraft, and the nuclear industrial complex.
An extended interview with Christopher Nolan, director of Oppenheimer
The director of the film "Oppenheimer" tells of how he came to choose the "father of the atomic bomb" as the subject of a movie, and describes how he went about translating the physicist’s sprawling life—as laid out in the 700-plus-page, Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, "American Prometheus"—into a single film.
Oppie—“A very mysterious and delphic character.” Interview with Kai Bird, co-author of American Prometheus
Kai Bird, one of the co-authors of "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer"—which took 25 years to complete—explains why he once described biography as: “The hardest form of history. And the most expensive.”
Oppenheimer’s tragedy—and ours
In 1954, Robert Oppenheimer was subjected to what was rightly described as “an extraordinary American inquisition” under the name of a security hearing. But while harmful professionally and personally, the hearings were not Oppenheimer’s greatest tragedy—it was the success of his leadership in the creation of the weapon.
“He did not speak the ordinary language”: Memories of Oppie, from a Manhattan Project physicist
One of the last surviving eyewitnesses from the effort to build the first atomic bomb gives his impressions of the Manhattan Project’s driving force: J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Collateral damage: American civilian survivors of the 1945 Trinity test
The Trinity test site was chosen, in part, for its supposed remove from human inhabitation. Yet nearly half-a-million people were living within a 150-mile radius of the explosion, with some as close as 12 miles away. None were warned or evacuated by the US government ahead of time.
Nichols presents charges
Following is the text of a letter, dated December 23, 1953, from Major General K. D. Nichols, general manager of the Atomic Energy Commission, to Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Oppenheimer Replies
On March 4, 1954, Dr. Oppenheimer replied to General Nichols’ letter of December 23, 1953. The complete text is printed below.
The Oppenheimer case: A study in the abuse of law
A former Atomic Energy Commission legal officer’s account of how its top scientific adviser was deposed.
Bulletin statement on the Energy Department’s Oppenheimer decision
On December 16, 2022, the Department of Energy vacated the 1954 Atomic Energy Commission decision that revoked Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer’s security clearance. The Bulletin applauds this important decision.
Why what happened to Oppenheimer then is relevant now
A renewable energy scientist who resigned from his position during the Trump Administration contemplates the similarities—and differences—between his situation and what happened to Oppenheimer in the 1950s during the McCarthy era.
A timeline of Oppenheimer and his legacy
Oppenheimer may have passed away decades ago, but the thing he created lives on—as do the efforts to stop it from proliferating.
Hiroshima Memories
"Papa brought Mama's ashes home in his army handkerchief."
A foul and awesome display
My personal nightmare was knowing that if the bomb didn't go off or hangfired, I, as head of the test, would have to go to the tower first and seek to find out what had gone wrong.
A Japanese scholar gives her personal view on J. Robert Oppenheimer
I cannot give a broad, sweeping view of what every single person in Japan thinks of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. No one can. But as a researcher in international politics at a Tokyo university, I can give my own, personal viewpoint of the man, about whom I wrote a book in 1995.
The explosive musical score to Oppenheimer
Though the film was pervaded with music, it went mostly unnoticed in many moments. But this made the passages in which there is no music obvious in their striking silence —and how that silence represents the gravity of the situation.
Nuclear Notebook: French nuclear weapons, 2023
France’s nuclear stockpile of approximately 290 warheads has remained stable in recent years, but significant modernizations are underway regarding ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, submarines, aircraft, and the nuclear industrial complex.
Cover design by Thomas Gaulkin. Image courtesy of Universal Pictures
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