Oppenheimer's tragedy—and ours
Posted: 20th July 2023
July 20, 2023
Silhouette of J. Robert Oppenheimer
This newsletter features content from our July premium magazine, which is available to all readers for the next few months. To view the entire July issue, click here.
DAN DROLLETTE JR.
A timeline of Oppenheimer and his legacy
A visual exploration of the life and times of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Read more.
DAN DROLLETTE JR.
Oppie—“A very mysterious and delphic character.” Interview with Kai Bird
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.” Read more.
ROBERT JAY LIFTON
Oppenheimer’s tragedy—and ours
In 1954, 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. Read more.
New T-shirt design: Oppenheimer, 1967
This 1967 magazine cover, now available as a design in our Threadless store, commemorated Oppenheimer’s impact as the first chairman of the Bulletin’s Board of Sponsors.
All proceeds support the Bulletin’s mission of reducing man-made threats to our existence.
K.D. NICHOLS
Nichols presents charges
Read the 1953 letter from Major General K. D. Nichols, general manager of the Atomic Energy Commission, to J. Robert Oppenheimer: “[Y]our employment on Atomic Energy Commission work and your eligibility for access to Restricted Data are hereby suspended, effective immediately.” Read more.
J.R. OPPENHEIMER
Oppenheimer Replies
“I cannot ignore the question you have raised, nor accept the suggestion that I am unfit for public service,” Oppenheimer wrote in response to General Nichols’ letter. Read more.
HAROLD P. GREEN
The Oppenheimer case: A study in the abuse of law
“To many observers the Oppenheimer case represented the high point of the McCarthy sickness,” a former Atomic Energy Commission legal officer writes in this piece from the Bulletin archive. Read more.
RACHEL BRONSON
Bulletin statement on the Department of Energy’s Oppenheimer decision
On December 16, 2022, the Department of Energy vacated the 1954 Atomic Energy Commission decision that revoked Oppenheimer’s security clearance. The Bulletin applauds this important decision. Read more.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The world’s major nuclear powers are now involved in precisely the kind of self-driving arms race that Oppenheimer warned against in the immediate aftermath of World War II … “
— John Mecklin, “Why Oppenheimer Could Be That Teachable Moment,” The Nation
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