Nuclear Proliferation International History Project - Political Authority or Atomic Celebrity?

Julius Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, became one of the most iconic figures of the twentieth century through his work as director of the Los Alamos team, which produced the first atomic weapons in the summer of 1945. [...] Although he had not taken part in the writing of the report, Oppenheimer stressed that his personal views were reflected by the document, adding that only three out of three-hundred scientists had refused to sign it.14 Despite the lobbying of the scientists and the support of Stimson, who was close to retirement, the War Department decided to suppress the report, which was classified by the end of. [...] During the drafting of the Acheson-Lilienthal Report, he contributed to its internationalist nature and suggested individual provisions concerning the power and scope of the ADA as the only physicist on the Board of Consultants. [...] Its use therefore carries much further than the atomic bomb itself the policy of exterminating civilian populations.” In addition, due to the uncertainty surrounding the weapon’s development process, Oppenheimer and the other members of the GAC questioned “whether the super will be cheaper or more expensive than the fission bomb.”41 The report thus argued that the armament was simply too powerful. [...] The lobbying and influence of supporters such as Oppenheimer, Admiral Ofstie and General Bradley resulted in the mass production of TNWs as well as their inclusion in NATO defensive plans.93 The physicist’s influence on the scientific community, the military and the government played a significant role in the development and adoption of TNWs in American war planning, especially during the late-194.