Inside the Centre: The Life of J. Robert Oppenheimer (138 page)

399
. While he was in Washington: Rhodes (1988), 525

400
. Bohr now believed: what follows is based on Frankfurter’s summary of the views Bohr expressed to him, quoted Rhodes (1988), 526

400
. ‘shared the hope’: quoted ibid.

400
. ‘worried him to death’: ibid.

400
. ‘this devastating weapon’: quoted ibid., 528

400
. ‘on no account’: ibid.

400
. ‘where everything’: ibid., 529

401
. ‘It was perfectly absurd’: ibid., 530

401
. ‘I did not like the man’: ibid.

401
. ‘the suggestion’: ibid., 537

401
. ‘The President and I’: ibid.

401
. ‘This was not funny’: JRO, ‘Niels Bohr Lecture 3’, 14 (1963), JRO papers, LOC

402
. Colonel Pash was able to enter Rome: Powers (1994), 304

402
. able to interrogate: ibid., 358

402
. in November 1944: ibid., 366–73

403
. ‘disagreeable shock’: Rotblat (1985), 18

403
. ‘You realise of course’: Rotblat, interview with Powers, 20.5.1988, quoted Powers (1994), 473. The same story is told in Rotblat (1985), but without direct quotation.

403
. ‘Until then’: Rotblat (1985), 18

403
. ‘I believe your people’: Pharr Davis (1969), 181

403
. ‘the most exclusive club’: ibid., 184

403
. ‘I found a spirit of Athens’: ibid., 185

403
. ‘By the grace of God’: ibid.

404
. ‘worked at physics’: ibid., 183

404
. ‘Oppenheimer could understand everything’: ibid., 182

404
. ‘He could understand anything’: ibid.,

405
. ‘the neutron number’: Hawkins (1946), 71

405
. ‘the time between fissions’: ibid.

405
. ‘extremely unlikely’: ibid.

406
. ‘You see’: Rhodes (1988), 500

406
. ‘dead in the water’: ibid., 492

407
. What Seaborg pointed out: see Rhodes (1988), 548

408
. ‘frustrations’: Christman (1998), 143

409
. published a book:
Atom Bombs: The Top Secret Inside Story of Little Boy and Fat Man
by John Coster-Mullen, self-published (2006)

410
. Coster-Mullen’s hobby was model-making: see David Samuels, ‘Atomic John’,
New Yorker
, 15 December 2008,
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/12/15/081215fa_fact_samuels

410
. Oppenheimer broke the news: see Hoddeson et al. (1993), 240

410
. ‘Do you think’: ibid.

410
. ‘went just as white’: ibid.

411
. a team of just eight people: ibid., 7

411
. ‘It seems to me’: Christman (1998), 126

412
. ‘in about the manner’: Hoddeson et al. (1993), 87–8

413
. ‘an occasional visit’: ibid., 131

413
. ‘woke everybody up’: ibid.

413
. ‘Why didn’t you tell me’: ibid.

413
. Oppenheimer gave reasons: ibid., 134

413
. ‘there is less danger’: ibid.

413
. ‘both Groves and Conant’: ibid., 135

414
. ‘partly’: ibid., 137

414
. ‘The situation is a mess’: Christman (1998), 137

414
. When he eventually joined Los Alamos: see Hoddeson et al. (1993), 139

415
. Apparently, the hope was: see ibid., 419, footnote 4

415
. ‘prime objective’: JRO to LRG, 25.3.1944, quoted Herken (2002), 116

415
. ‘At that time’: Peierls (1985), 187

416
. ‘into the technical aspects’: JRO to LRG, 14.2.1944, S & W, 272

416
. Teller was appointed: Hoddeson et al. (1993), 157

416
. ‘the great and increased urgency’: ibid., 160

416
. ‘Hydrodynamics of Implosion, Super’: see Hawkins (1946), 84

416
. ‘The next morning’: Teller (2001), 175

417
. ‘I want you’: ibid., 177

417
. ‘seemed far too difficult’: ibid.

417
. ‘as physicists’: ibid., 176

417
. ‘I much prefer’: ibid., 177

417
. ‘I was a little hurt’: ibid.

418
. ‘greatest urgency’: JRO to LRG, 1.5.1944, quoted White (2001), 218

418
. on 3 June 1944: Hoddeson et al. (1993), 162

418
. ‘There is an element of comfort’: Peierls (1985), 200

418
. major breakthrough: see Hoddeson et al. (1993), 163–9

418
. ‘a completely untried and undeveloped method’: Hawkins (1946), 91

419
. ‘not a single experimental result’: ibid., 143

419
. ‘fascination with organizational charts’: Ulam (1991), 156

419
. Christy suggested: Hoddeson et al. (1993), 307–8

420
. ‘RaLa method’: ibid., 268–71

420
. ‘They were kids’: Goodchild (1980), 119

420
. ‘We had reveille at six’: ibid.

421
. Greenglass had studied mechanical engineering: Schecter (2002), 175–9

422
. ‘the inexcusable Greenglass case’: ITMO, 261, 262

422
. ‘He is certainly’: ibid., 278

422
. ‘in any way’: ibid., 280

422
. Theodore Hall: most of my information concerning Hall comes from Albright and Kunstel (1997)

422
. When his mother asked: Albright and Kunstel (1997), 35

423
. ‘We were turning out’: ibid., 120

423
. ‘It seemed to me’: ibid., 90

423
. ‘Now we have our bomb’: Hoddeson et al. (1993), 271

424
. met Harry Gold in Boston: see Albright and Kunstel (1997), 123, and Rhodes (1996), 152–5

424
. he simply denied everything: Albright and Kunstel (1997), Chapters 24–5

424
. ‘in essence’: ibid., 289

425
. ‘She didn’t get along very well’: Goodchild (1980), 127

425
. ‘one of the few people’: Conant (2005), 180

425
. ‘very bewitching’: ibid., 181

425
. ‘Everybody was aware of it’: ibid.

425
. ‘I was young’: ibid., 182

425
. ‘It was known’: Goodchild (1980), 128

426
. ‘would go off on a shopping trip’: ibid.

426
. left Los Alamos for Pittsburgh: see B & S, 263

426
. ‘It was all very strange’: ibid., 264

426
. ‘Of course not’: ibid.

426
. ‘X-2 Development, Engineering, Tests’: see Hawkins (1946), 240

426
. ‘Trinity Project’: ibid., 241

427
. ‘Why I chose the name’: JRO to LRG, 20.10.1962, quoted S & W, 290

427
. Lieutenant H.C. Bush: see Szasz (1984), 37–8

427
. Groves announced: see Hoddeson et al. (1993), 312

428
. ‘spoke very quietly’: S & W, 287

428
. ‘We have been living’: ibid., 288

429
. dress rehearsal: Hoddeson et al. (1993), 360–2

429
. ‘it was recognised’: Groves (1962), 264

430
. Oppenheimer hosted: S & W, 291

430
. The minutes of these meetings: see Stoff et al. (1991), 97–103

430
. ‘From the psychological point of view’: ibid., 100

430
. ‘is a good radar target’: ibid.

430
. ‘obtaining the greatest psychological effect’: ibid., 102

430
. the minutes reveal: ibid., 105–20

430
. ‘expressed the view’: ibid., 106

431
. ‘It might be wise’: ibid., 112

431
. ‘effect of the bombing’: ibid., 117

431
. ‘several strikes’: ibid.

431
. figure of 20,000: ibid., 122

431
. ‘After much discussion’: ibid., 117

431
. ‘the ancient capital of Japan’: Groves (1962), 273

431
. ‘and had been’: ibid., 274

431
. ‘On the other hand’: ibid., 275

432
. ‘There was’: ibid.

432
. Robert Wilson remembers: see interview with Wilson in Palevsky (2000), Chapter 5, especially 135–7

432
. ‘Handling of Undesirable Scientists’: Stoff et al. (1991), 118

432
. ‘stated that’: ibid.

432
. the political and social implications of the bomb: for Szilard’s attempts to stop the US from using the atom bombs, see Baggott (2009), Chapter 15, Rhodes (1988), Chapter 18, and Lanouette (1994), Chapter 18.

433
. ‘general demeanor’: Lanouette (1994), 266

433
. ‘The atomic bomb is shit’: ibid.

433
. ‘Don’t you think’: ibid., 266–7

433
. the Franck Report: reproduced in full in Stoff et al. (1991), 140–7

433
. 12 June 1945: see Compton to Stimson, 12.6.1945, ibid., 138–9

433
. ‘international agreement’: ibid., 143

434
. ‘the eyes’: ibid., 144

434
. ‘Nuclear bombs’: ibid., 146

434
. ‘If the United States’: ibid.

434
. a memo dated 16 June 1945: ibid., 149–50

434
. ‘It is clear’: ibid., 150

435
. ‘opportunity of saving’: ibid.

435
. ‘We find ourselves’: ibid.

435
. ‘the weapon’: R. Gordon Arenson, memo to George L. Harrison, 25.6.1945, ibid., 157

435
. ‘there would be considerable advantage’: see George L. Harrison, memo to Stimson, 26.6.1945, ibid., 160

435
. ‘I understand’: Lanouette (1994), 269

435
. ‘to rule that’: ibid., 175

435
. ‘However small’: ibid., 270, Teller (2001), 204–5

435
. ‘The fact that’: Teller (2001), 205

436
. ‘made good sense to me’: ibid.

436
. ‘in a way’: ibid., 206

436
. ‘What do they know’: ibid.

436
. ‘our political leaders’: ibid.

436
. ‘Of course’: Lanouette (1994), 271

436
. opinion poll: see Stoff et al. (1991), 173

437
. Truman made the decision: see Rhodes (1988), 651

437
. ‘Proposed Program for Japan’: Stoff et al. (1991), 168–70

437
. ‘giving them a warning’: ibid., 168

437
. ‘Japan is not’: ibid., 169

437
. ‘we should add’: ibid., 170

438
. ‘This hour’: Groves (1962), 293

438
. ‘set the example’: ibid.

438
. ‘South 10,000’: see Szasz (1984), 31

438
. ‘Every five or ten minutes’: Groves (1962), 294

438
. Samuel Allison started the countdown: Szasz (1984), 82

438
. ‘I never realized’: ibid.

439
. ‘My first impression’: Groves (1962), 296

439
. ‘These plans’: ibid., 297–8

439
. ‘We knew the world’:
The Day After Trinity
(1980), directed by John H. Else, KTEH television

439
. ‘I am all-powerful Time’:
Bhagavad Gita
, Penguin Classics (1962), 92

439
. the famous translation: see Arnold (1993)

439
. ‘Death am I’: Ryder (2004), 88

440
. ‘Dr Oppenheimer’: Groves (1962), 436–7

440
. ‘Some people’: Szasz (1984), 90

440
. ‘I think we just said’:
The Day After Trinity
(1980), directed by John H. Else, KTEH television

440
. ‘A loud cry filled the air’: B & S, 309

440
. ‘Our first feeling’: Szasz (1984), 91

440
. ‘he seemed shrunken’: ibid.

440
. ‘thrilled’: ibid., 90

440
. ‘I’ll never forget his walk’: Goodchild (1980), 163, B & S, 308

440
. ‘The war is over’: Norris (2002), 405

440
. a betting pool: see Rhodes (1988), 656

441
. ‘My God’: Szasz (1984), 85

441
. ‘remotely located’: ibid.

441
. ‘Operated on this morning’: Stoff et al. (1991), 183

441
. ‘Doctor Groves’: Szasz (1984), 145

441
. ‘tremendously pepped up’: ibid., 146

441
. ‘For the first time in history’: Stoff et al. (1991), 188

442
. ‘deposited its dust’: ibid., 189

442
. ‘awesome roar’: ibid., 191

442
. ‘The feeling’: ibid., 192

442
. ‘Herculean project’: ibid.

442
. ‘a nation’: ibid., 195

442
. ‘beginning to feel’: ibid.

442
. ‘They were immensely pleased’: ibid., 203–4

442
. ‘unanimous in thinking’: ibid., 205

443
. ‘now with our new weapon’: Stoff et al. (1991), 211–12

443
. ‘I casually mentioned’: Truman (1955), 416

443
. ‘will deliver’: Groves (1962), 308

443
. Potsdam Declaration: Stoff et al. (1991), 215–6

443
. ‘The prodigious land, sea and air forces’: ibid., 215

444
. ‘would stand’: ibid., 225

444
. Radio Tokyo: ibid.

444
. ‘Mokusatsu’: see Alperovitz (1996), Chapter 32

444
. ‘They’re going to take this thing’: Pharr Davis (1969), 240

444
. ‘Oh God’: Conant (2005), 318

444
. ‘I just keep thinking’: ibid., 323. A slightly different version of the same recollection is in B & S, 314.

444
. Spaatz cabled Washington: Rhodes (1988), 696

444
. ‘Hiroshima should be given first priority’: ibid.

444
. Farrell reported to Groves: ibid., 699

445
. called a briefing: see Christman (1998), 1–2