Written by: Sauharda Bajracharya - 26010, Grade X
Posted on: 01 June, 2023
J. Robert Oppenheimer, often called the “Father of the Atomic Bomb” was an American physicist best known for his contribution in the Manhattan project - the project responsible for developing the nuclear bomb, a weapon of mass destruction. The man who created the weapon capable of destroying entire nations was haunted by it all throughout his life. He was born and raised in Manhattan, New York to a Jewish family. He attended Harvard University as a chemistry major, however he studied physics, literature and philosophy. After graduating from Harvard, he taught as a physics teacher at University of California.
He had been researching nuclear fission - a powerful reaction caused by splitting of two atoms releasing a lot of energy. The best element for fission was uranium (U). When an unstable uranium atom is collided with another atom, a chain reaction occurs, splitting the atom apart and ultimately releasing a huge amount of energy. Another element, plutonium(Pu), is also highly fissionable, so the first atomic bomb was made using this element. The first plutonium bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945. “We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried. Most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita; “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds. I suppose we all thought that, one way or another.”, said Oppenheimer. The following month, two atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan resulting in the deaths of thousands. After Japan surrendered ending the Second World War, Oppenheimer expressed guilt for developing such a weapon of mass destruction. However, he criticized the state and government for the misuse of such dangerous weapons. In 1953, the government suspected Oppenheimer of being a communist spy after having an affair with an American Communist Party member- Jean Tatlock. Oppenheimer was accused of being a Soviet spy initially in 1949 after the Soviet Union successfully conducted a nuclear bomb test. A hearing was followed in 1954 focusing on Oppenheimer's past communist ties and his relationship with communist scientists during the Manhattan Project. Though he had never been a communist himself, his case was heard and his security clearance was revoked meaning he could no longer access any confidential information or enter any restricted areas. Edward Teller, commonly known as “The father of the hydrogen bomb” testified on behalf of the government after Oppenheimer opposed the idea of developing a hydrogen bomb- a bomb thousand times more powerful than the atomic bomb.
Oppenheimer thought it was unnecessary to have a more powerful weapon that could wipe out the human race. Teller was later criticized by many for his testimony. Oppenheimer spent his last years living a quiet life in New Jersey. When President John F. Kennedy offered him a new trial to get his security clearance back, he declined. He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1965 and died on February 18, 1967 at the age of 62. His development of the atomic bomb not only haunted him, but it continues to haunt all of us. Today, a nuclear bomb could be dropped on any country at any time, and there is no one to stop it.
References:
1. “THE GRIM LIFE OF THE MAN WHO CREATED THE ATOMIC BOMB”, OPPENHEIMER'S GEMS AND GERMS, OPPENHEIMER'S AGONIZING GOODBYES, OPPENHEIMER'S COMMUNIST TIME BOMB, no.1, Jan 23, 2023. The Grim Life of the Man who created the Atomic Bomb
2. “Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki”, The Manhattan Project, No Surrender for the Japanese, 'Little Boy' and 'Fat Man' Are Dropped, Aftermath of the Bombing, no.1, April 18, 2023. Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
3. “The Manhattan Project and the Invention of the Atomic Bomb”, The Project, German Competition, Development of the Bomb, Trinity Test, Reactions, no.1, Nov 22, 2019. The Manhattan Project and the Invention of the Atomic Bomb
