Letter from Aimee Slaughter, Museum Director Los Alamos Museum
"Hi Mason, Sean, Jackson, Danny, and Jakob,
These are good, big questions! I'd encourage you to keep reading to see how other historians answer these questions, because you'll find different perspectives from different people and different sources—and you should make your own argument for your NHD project informed by the answers that you find most compelling!
1. I think Oppenheimer's greatest legacy has to be his role as the scientific director of the Manhattan Project. It was not at all certain when the Manhattan Project began that it would be successful. What was certain was that it would not succeed if it did not have a good leader who brought together a good team. Oppenheimer was an effective leader and he personally selected many of the scientists who came to work at Los Alamos.
2. My favorite quote about this is from physicist Luis Alvarez, who worked at Los Alamos. When Oppenheimer was appointed as scientific director, Alvarez heard one of Oppenheimer's close friends say that "he couldn't run a hamburger stand." He had practically no leadership experience, other than leading classes, before he led the atomic bomb project.
3. After losing his security clearance, Oppenheimer could no longer work on the cutting edge of atomic and nuclear physics because much of the scientific data were classified. He did continue to lecture and work on physics, however I don't know of any significant contributions that he made to the field (however he was 49 when he lost his security clearance, and it's often said that physics is a young man's game, so this likely isn't entirely because he lost his security clearance). He also did some work towards the control of nuclear weapons, but there were some significant developments which he could have contributed to and chose not to, perhaps because of the effects of the very political security hearing he endured.
If you haven't already, I would suggest looking at "Who Was J. Robert Oppenheimer? Charisma and Complex Organization" by Charles Thorpe and Steven Shapin in Social Studies of Science (available online here: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hsdept/bios/docs/shapin-J_Robert_Oppenheimer_2000.pdf). It cites that hamburger stand quote, originally from Luis Alvarez's autobiography, and collects many other personal recollections of what Oppenheimer was like as a leader. The main argument of the article about charismatic authority is probably too complex to try to synthesize into your NHD project, but you'll have to decide that for yourselves.
Let me know if you have other questions as you work on your project! Given enough time to look at it, I'd be happy to look over a draft of your project as well.
best,
Aimee"
"Hi Mason, Sean, Jackson, Danny, and Jakob,
These are good, big questions! I'd encourage you to keep reading to see how other historians answer these questions, because you'll find different perspectives from different people and different sources—and you should make your own argument for your NHD project informed by the answers that you find most compelling!
1. I think Oppenheimer's greatest legacy has to be his role as the scientific director of the Manhattan Project. It was not at all certain when the Manhattan Project began that it would be successful. What was certain was that it would not succeed if it did not have a good leader who brought together a good team. Oppenheimer was an effective leader and he personally selected many of the scientists who came to work at Los Alamos.
2. My favorite quote about this is from physicist Luis Alvarez, who worked at Los Alamos. When Oppenheimer was appointed as scientific director, Alvarez heard one of Oppenheimer's close friends say that "he couldn't run a hamburger stand." He had practically no leadership experience, other than leading classes, before he led the atomic bomb project.
3. After losing his security clearance, Oppenheimer could no longer work on the cutting edge of atomic and nuclear physics because much of the scientific data were classified. He did continue to lecture and work on physics, however I don't know of any significant contributions that he made to the field (however he was 49 when he lost his security clearance, and it's often said that physics is a young man's game, so this likely isn't entirely because he lost his security clearance). He also did some work towards the control of nuclear weapons, but there were some significant developments which he could have contributed to and chose not to, perhaps because of the effects of the very political security hearing he endured.
If you haven't already, I would suggest looking at "Who Was J. Robert Oppenheimer? Charisma and Complex Organization" by Charles Thorpe and Steven Shapin in Social Studies of Science (available online here: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hsdept/bios/docs/shapin-J_Robert_Oppenheimer_2000.pdf). It cites that hamburger stand quote, originally from Luis Alvarez's autobiography, and collects many other personal recollections of what Oppenheimer was like as a leader. The main argument of the article about charismatic authority is probably too complex to try to synthesize into your NHD project, but you'll have to decide that for yourselves.
Let me know if you have other questions as you work on your project! Given enough time to look at it, I'd be happy to look over a draft of your project as well.
best,
Aimee"