Inside the Centre: The Life of J. Robert Oppenheimer (140 page)

487
. ‘Give it back to the Indians’: Teller (2001), 219

487
. ‘Operation Crossroads’: see Weisgall (1994), from where my information about these tests primarily comes.

488
. ‘If an atomic bomb’: ibid., 98

488
. ‘the appropriateness’: ibid., 99

489
. White: ‘I also have another quotation’: H.B. Fletcher, FBI San Francisco Office to JEH, 11.6.1946, JRO FBI file

489
. ‘Naval vessels’:
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists of Chicago
, 1 (5), 15 February 1946, 12

489
. just what happened: what follows is derived mainly from Weisgall (1994)

489
. ‘Dressed in all the trappings’:
The Economist
, Volume 151, 1946, 9

489
. ‘not so much’: Rhodes (1996), 262

490
. ‘common blackmail’: ibid.

490
. ‘is in deep despair’: Lilienthal (1964), 69

490
. ‘will be construed by us’: ibid., 70

490
. ‘paced up and down’: ibid.

490
. ‘He is really’: ibid., 69

491
. ‘for the last four years’: S & W, 289

491
. ‘Cosmic Rays: Report of Recent Progress, 1936–1941’: Oppenheimer (1944)

491
. ‘The situation’: Oppenheimer (1944), 31

491
. ‘Reaction of Radiation’: Oppenheimer and Bethe (1946)

492
. ‘I think’: Donald Menzel to JRO, 15.7.1946, JRO papers, LOC

492
. ‘I would like’: JRO to Donald Menzel, 8.8.1946, JRO papers, LOC

492
. ‘There are certainly’: Menzel to JRO, August 1946, JRO papers, LOC

493
. ‘He is not greatly cultivated’: B & S, 362

493
. ‘a kind of house-rewarming’: Chevalier (1965), 69

493
. ‘had been asked’: ibid.

493
. ‘was obviously’: ibid.

494
. ‘I had to report’: ibid.

494
. ‘gave no answer’: ibid., 70

494
. ‘Opje let loose’: ibid.

494
. Oppenheimer himself was interviewed: see Herken (2002), 161–2

495
. ‘Dr Oppenheimer has requested’: Pais (2006), 80

496
. about whom Oppenheimer had written to Birge: S & W, 268–9

496
. ‘in every way’: ibid., 268

496
. Six months later: JRO to Birge, 26.5.1944, S & W, 275–6

496
. ‘I shall of course’: S & W, 284–5

496
. ‘Would you like to come to Berkeley?’: Mehra et al. (1999e), 1137

496
. ‘I still said no’: ibid.

497
. ‘Turn around’: Pais (1997), 186

497
. ‘Oppenheimer spoke’: ibid., 221

497
. ‘As I stood waiting’: ibid., 221–2

497
. ‘Let’s walk’: ibid., 222

498
. ‘I have just’: ibid., 224

498
. ‘quite long conversations’: ITMO, 327

499
. ‘You will note’: JEH to General Harry H. Vaughan, 28.2.1947, JRO FBI file

499
. ‘Well, if anyone were to print this stuff’: Stern (1971), 103

499
. ‘visibly shaken’: ibid.

499
. Oppenheimer had told him: see ITMO, 27

499
. On 11 March: Herken (2002), 179

500
. ‘He wanted me to be quite clear’: ITMO, 41

500
. to hear Oppenheimer say: ibid., 344

500
. On 11 August: Herken (2002), 180

501
. Shelter Island Conference: my main sources of information about this conference are Pais (1986), Chapter 18, Schweber (1986b), Schweber (1994) and Schwinger (1986). A good, accessible account of the conference can be found in Baggott (2011).

501
. ‘would be remembered’: Schweber (1994), 156

501
. ‘There have been many conferences’: ibid.

502
. Weisskopf’s outline: ibid., 179–81

502
. Oppenheimer’s outline: ibid., 181–3

502
. a non-technical lecture: ‘Atomic Energy as a Contemporary Problem’, Oppenheimer (1955), 21–41

502
. ‘of the two or three’: ibid., 30

502
. ‘would not dare’: Brown and Hoddeson (1983), 222

503
. ‘Twenty-three’: quoted Schweber (1994), 172–3

503
. ‘it was immediately evident’: ibid., 173

503
. ‘As the conference went on’: ibid.

503
. ‘I had heard Oppenheimer speak’: Pais (2006), 112

505
. ‘unexpectedly fruitful’: Schweber (1994), 174

505
. ‘the most successful conference’: ibid., 175

505
. ‘Don’t worry’: ibid., 174

506
. ‘I hardly see him any more’: Chevalier (1965), 79

506
. ‘George thinks this’: ibid., 80

506
. ‘Oppenheimer became a symbol’: Kevles (1995), 377

507
. ‘This is an unreal place’: Pais (1997), 248–9

508
.
Life
magazine ran an article:
Life
, 29 December 1947, 53–9

508
. ‘devastating projection’: ibid., 53

509
. ‘The Multiple Production’: Oppenheimer, Lewis and Wouthuysen (1948)

509
. ‘Note on the Stimulated Decay’: Oppenheimer, Epstein and Finkelstein (1948)

509
. small conference in Copenhagen: see Pais (1997), 233–4

509
. ‘It was’: ibid., 234

509
. ‘did not have time’: Mehra and Rechenberg (2001), 1044. See also Schweber (1994), 317

510
. ‘The importance of Schwinger’s calculation’: Schweber (1994), 318

510
. ‘Physics in the Contemporary World’: Oppenheimer (1955), 81–102

510
. ‘temporarily disastrous effect’: ibid., 83

510
. ‘demands of’: ibid.

510
. ‘It has’: ibid., 83–4

510
. ‘Almost every month’: ibid., 84–5

510
. ‘A newly vigorous’: ibid., 85–6

510
. ‘the increasing understanding’: ibid., 86

511
. ‘It is the prevailing view’: ibid.

511
. ‘In some sort of crude sense’: ibid., 88

512
. ‘God is great!’: Schweber (1994), 318

512
. ‘I have heard’: ibid.

512
. ‘As he proceeded’: Pais (1997), 251

512
. ‘The great event’: Schweber (1994), 320

513
. ‘I was not showing off: Mehra and Rechenberg (2001), 1048

513
. ‘I heard later’: ibid.

513
. 10 December 1947: Schweber (1994), 176

513
. ‘Now it does not matter’: Pais (2006), 115

513
. ‘a major tour de force’: ibid.

513
. ‘I was not invited’: Dyson (1979), 55

514
. ‘had a new theory’: ibid.

514
. ‘Dick tried to tell’: ibid.

514
. ‘the speed’: Pais (2006), 115

514
. ‘The Pocono conference’: Schwinger (1986), 414

514
. ‘got together in the hallway’: Mehra and Rechenberg (2001), 1059

514
. ‘Grateful for your letter’: see Schwinger (2008), 40

515
. ‘Just because’: Schweber (1994), 198

515
. ‘remarkable work’:
Physical Review
, 74, 225 (1948)

515
. ‘The reason’: Schweber (1994), 201

515
. ‘whole idea’: Barton (1968), 66. On the history of
Physics Today
, see also Weiner (1973).

516
. ‘to present’: Barton (1968)

516
. ‘Out of it all’:
Engineering and Science Monthly
, July 1948, 7

516
. ‘hard to disbelieve’: Oppenheimer (1949b), 181

516
. ‘the developments’: ibid.

517
. ‘To me that was very important’: Schweber (1994), 502

517
. ‘where love had drawn him’: ibid., 452

517
. ‘I knew’: Dyson (1979), 64

517
. ‘Yesterday’: Schweber (1994), 335

518
. ‘a marvel’: Dyson (1979), 66

518
. ‘was a cut diamond’: ibid.

518
. ‘understood Schwinger’s theory’: ibid.

518
. ‘As we were droning across Nebraska’: ibid., 67

518
. ‘to teach’: ibid., 68

519
. ‘five days’: Kaiser (2005), 74

519
. ‘announcing the triumph’: ibid.

519
. ‘in the middle of the conference’: Rudolf Peierls, interviewed by Charles Weiner in Seattle, Washington, 13 August 1969, AIP

519
. ‘there is the phrase’: JRO to FO, 28.9.1948, quoted B & S, 391, and (slightly more fully) Michelmore (1969), 145–6

520
. ‘more powerful methods’: Schwinger (1958), 148

520
. ‘closed’: ibid., 154

520
. ‘The atmosphere’: quoted Gleick (1994), 266

520
. ‘unreceptive to new ideas’: Dyson (1979), 73

520
. ‘but it came as a shock’: ibid.

521
. ‘The old guard’: Mehra and Rechenberg (2001), 1071

521
. ‘I might have thought’: Kragh (1990), 184

521
. ‘Recent work by Lamb’: Dirac (1951), 291

521
. is on record: see Kragh (1990), 183

521
. ‘I disagree’: Schweber (1994), 522

521
. ‘As a result’: ibid.

522
. ‘I have been observing’: Dyson (1979), 73

522
. ‘we had our fiercest public battle’: ibid.

522
. ‘about some calculations’: ibid., 74

523
. ‘
Nolo Contendere
’: ibid.

523
. ‘It’s a grim prospect’: Schweber (1994), 527

523
. ‘Certainly’: ibid.

523
. ‘Well’: ibid., 551

523
. ‘I am really’: Schweber (1994), 550

523
. ‘What we don’t understand’:
Time
magazine, 8 November 1948, 70

524
. ‘I woke up’: ibid., 76

524
. ‘to follow in detail’: JRO to FO, 28.9.1948, quoted B & S, 391

525
. ‘where I saw an opportunity’: B & S, 393

525
. ‘intellectual hotel’:
Time
magazine, 8 November 1948, 76

525
. ‘despairing the life’: ibid.

525
. ‘Suppose you could’:
New York Times
, 18 April 1948, quoted Pais (2006), 89

526
. ‘prim and shy’: Dyson (1979), 71

526
. ‘was dying to have conversations’: Pais (2006), 87. See also Pais (1997), 236, where he is merely ‘eager’ to have conversations with Eliot.

526
. ‘This is a nice elevator’: Pais (2006), 87

526
. ‘felt lonely and homesick’: Ackroyd (1985), 288

526
. ‘Newspapermen’: Dyson (1979), 72

526
. ‘I invited Eliot here’: ibid.

526
. ‘One piece of news’: Lee (2009), 158

527
. ‘beautiful theory’: Schweber (1994), 550

527
. ‘Oppenheimer gave a presidential address’: Dyson (1979), 74–5

527
. ‘When I really knew’: Schweber (1994), 456

528
. ‘What about Case’s Theorem?’: Mehra and Rechenberg (2001), 1092. See also ibid., 455

528
. ‘That was the moment’: ibid., 456

528
. ‘But what about Slotnick’s calculation?’: ibid.

528
. ‘I had fun with that’: ibid.

529
. ‘We will start work’: Pais (2006), 117

529
. ‘We had lovely weather’: Schweber (1994), 552

529
. ‘Feynman’s show’: Pais (2006), 117

529
. ‘began its rapid’: ibid.

529
. ‘a real sense’: Schweber (1994), 178

530
. ‘is
known
’: Feynman (1990), 3

530
. ‘At the present time’: ibid., 7

530
. ‘We physicists’: ibid., 8

531
. ‘The Open Mind’: Oppenheimer (1955), 45–57

531
. ‘We need to remember’: ibid., 54

531
. ‘appear to commit us’: ibid., 53

531
. ‘they would need them’: ibid., 56

532
. ‘More & more physicists’:
Time
magazine, 8 November 1948, 70

532
. his appearance before HUAC: see Stern (1971), 118–22, B & S, 394–6, and ITMO, 210–16. Schweber (2000), 118–30, has an excellent account both of the hearing and of its repurcussions.

533
. ‘Mr Chairman’: B & S, 396

533
. ‘a dangerous man and quite Red’: ibid., 395

533
. ‘violently denounced’: ibid.

533
. ‘too constitutional’: Stern (1971), 120

533
. ‘Incidents in Germany’: ITMO, 211

534
. ‘It was well known’: ibid.

534
. ‘Before we adjourn’: Stern (1971), 122

534
. called before the committee the very next day: ibid., 123

534
. ‘God guided their questions’: ibid., 124. See also ITMO, 213, where Oppenheimer is asked twice whether he said this. The first time he denies it, the second time he says he does not remember saying it.

534
. a Rochester newspaper: the story is reproduced in full in Schweber (2000), 119–20

535
. ‘because of his intransigence’: ibid., 123

535
. ‘If Peters loses his job’: ibid., 123–4

535
. ‘lost a good deal of sleep’: ibid., 125

535
. Bethe’s letter: ibid.

535
. ‘rather dismal’: ibid., 127

536
. ‘a not very successful piece’: ibid.

536
. ‘I think mostly’: Michelmore (1969), 156

536
. Frank’s turn: Stern (1971), 130–2, B & S, 402–5

536
. front-page story: the front page in question is reproduced in Goodchild (1969), 187

536
. said he had never been a Communist Party member: see ibid., 188