"Hi Danny, Mason, Sean, Jakob, and Jackson,
I would say that Robert Oppenheimer's greatest strengths were his extraordinary intelligence, his sense of humor, his charisma, his ability to convince those around him that they were working for a noble and just cause, and his ability to see the big picture and convey it to others in very understandable terms. He inspired people to stretch themselves and achieve things that they didn't think were possible.
I would say that his greatest legacy was a negative one. He is thought of as the father of the atomic bomb. He should also be remembered as the real author of the Acheson-Lilienthal Plan for international control of the atomic bomb. He was terrified of the world that he had helped usher in. He also spoke out powerfully against developing the hydrogen bomb, for which he would pay a great price. He was later stripped of his security clearance and marginalized in the world of physics. So I would say he was an ambiguous historical figure who had his positive side and he had his negative side. Without him, the Los Alamos bomb project might not have succeeded and the world would have been better off. But, in part because of his brilliant leadership, life on this planet has been living with the threat of annihilation ever since
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. And please send me a group photo of yourselves.
Thanks,
Peter Kuznick
Professor of History
Director, Nuclear Studies Institute
American University
Washington, DC 20016
(202) 885-2408"
I would say that Robert Oppenheimer's greatest strengths were his extraordinary intelligence, his sense of humor, his charisma, his ability to convince those around him that they were working for a noble and just cause, and his ability to see the big picture and convey it to others in very understandable terms. He inspired people to stretch themselves and achieve things that they didn't think were possible.
I would say that his greatest legacy was a negative one. He is thought of as the father of the atomic bomb. He should also be remembered as the real author of the Acheson-Lilienthal Plan for international control of the atomic bomb. He was terrified of the world that he had helped usher in. He also spoke out powerfully against developing the hydrogen bomb, for which he would pay a great price. He was later stripped of his security clearance and marginalized in the world of physics. So I would say he was an ambiguous historical figure who had his positive side and he had his negative side. Without him, the Los Alamos bomb project might not have succeeded and the world would have been better off. But, in part because of his brilliant leadership, life on this planet has been living with the threat of annihilation ever since
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. And please send me a group photo of yourselves.
Thanks,
Peter Kuznick
Professor of History
Director, Nuclear Studies Institute
American University
Washington, DC 20016
(202) 885-2408"