J. Robert Oppenheimer: FBI, CIA & Manhattan Project Files

Description

Oppenheimer’s Path: From Trinity to Clearance Revocation

Detailed Timeline of Main Events

• May 1, 1941: Earliest mention of J. Robert Oppenheimer in American newspapers, as noted in the FBI files.
• April 1943: Robert Serber gives introductory lectures for the Los Alamos Project, which are compiled into “The Los Alamos Primer” by Edward Condon.
• 1943: J. Robert Oppenheimer begins leading the Manhattan Project’s clandestine lab in Los Alamos.
• July 16, 1945: The TRINITY test, the world’s first detonation of a nuclear weapon, occurs at the Trinity test site in southern New Mexico. This event was directed by Kenneth Tompkins Bainbridge.
• 1945: The atomic bombs developed by Oppenheimer’s team are dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.
• After World War II: Oppenheimer becomes Chairman of the General Advisory Committee of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), providing technical advice for the use and control of nuclear weapons.
• 1948 – 1957: CIA documents make mention of J. Robert Oppenheimer.
• 1952 – 1954: The FBI collects newspaper clippings related to Oppenheimer.
• June 1954: The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) revokes Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer’s security clearance after hearings by the AEC’s Personnel Security Board. The decision is based on “fundamental defects” in his character, not a question of loyalty or mishandling classified information.
• December 2, 1963: Latest mention of J. Robert Oppenheimer in American newspapers, as noted in the FBI files.

Cast of Characters

• J. Robert Oppenheimer: A theoretical physicist who led the Manhattan Project’s Los Alamos Laboratory from 1943 to 1945, where atomic bombs were developed. He chose the name TRINITY for the first nuclear detonation. After WWII, he chaired the General Advisory Committee of the Atomic Energy Commission. His security clearance was revoked in 1954 due to perceived “fundamental defects” in his character and pre-war connections to the Communist Party.
• Kai Bird: Co-author of “American Prometheus,” a biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer.
• Martin J. Sherwin: Co-author of “American Prometheus,” a biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt: Mentioned in atomic development correspondence with J. Robert Oppenheimer.
• Harry S Truman: Mentioned in atomic development correspondence with J. Robert Oppenheimer.
• Enrico Fermi: Mentioned in atomic development correspondence with J. Robert Oppenheimer.
• Leslie R. Groves: Mentioned in atomic development correspondence with J. Robert Oppenheimer, likely referring to General Leslie Groves, military head of the Manhattan Project.
• Henry D. Smyth: Mentioned in atomic development correspondence with J. Robert Oppenheimer.
• Joseph O. Hirschfelder: Mentioned in atomic development correspondence with J. Robert Oppenheimer.
• Brigadier General Thomas Farrell: Mentioned in atomic development correspondence with J. Robert Oppenheimer.
• Norman Ramsey Jr.: Mentioned in atomic development correspondence with J. Robert Oppenheimer.
• Dean Acheson: Mentioned in atomic development correspondence with J. Robert Oppenheimer.
• Klaus Fuchs: A physicist mentioned in FBI files as having a connection with Oppenheimer, likely due to his espionage activities.
• Robert Serber: Wrote “The Los Alamos Primer” in 1943, based on his introductory lectures for the Los Alamos Project.
• Edward Condon: Composed the notes for “The Los Alamos Primer” based on Robert Serber’s lectures.
• K. T. Bainbridge (Kenneth Tompkins Bainbridge): Directed the organization, experiments, and results of the TRINITY test in 1945.