Despite creating the “necessary” weapon that ended the war, completely destroying two cities and ushering in a new era, Julius Robert Oppenheimer opposed nuclear proliferation for the rest of his life.
The atomic bomb is considered the most dangerous weapon that humanity has ever invented. This is due to its immense destructive power, which results in significant casualties and long-term impacts on both people and the environment.
The creator of the atomic bomb was scientist Julius Robert Oppenheimer (1904 – 1967). He was the head of the Manhattan Project—the U.S. research and development project for the atomic bomb in 1942.
Born in New York City in 1904, Julius Robert Oppenheimer was the son of a Jewish-German immigrant who became wealthy through importing textiles. He graduated with honors from Harvard University in just three years and then studied theoretical physics at both the University of Cambridge in England and the University of Göttingen in Germany, where he earned his Ph.D. at the age of 23.
The young physicist quickly bonded with some of the greatest scientific minds of his time. His academic work advanced quantum theory and predicted everything from neutrons to black holes. He also had a passion for learning beyond scientific fields, such as studying Sanskrit and exploring religious studies.
Scientist Julius Robert Oppenheimer.
After the U.S. joined the Allies in 1941, Oppenheimer was invited to participate in the top-secret Manhattan Project to develop nuclear weapons. While the researcher worked to understand what was necessary to initiate and sustain a neutron chain reaction for a nuclear explosion, his superiors were highly impressed with his vast knowledge, ambition, work ethic, and ability to inspire other scientists. In 1942, the U.S. Army appointed Oppenheimer as the head of the secret bomb testing laboratory.
As military authorities sought a suitable location for the laboratory, Oppenheimer suggested the Los Alamos Ranch School, a private school for boys near Santa Fe. Before long, he was directing hundreds, then thousands, of staff at the Los Alamos Laboratory.
Oppenheimer not only gathered the best minds of his era, but he also inspired, motivated, organized, and encouraged them to showcase their abilities. On July 16, 1945, Oppenheimer and his colleagues gathered at the Trinity test site south of Los Alamos for the world’s first nuclear explosion. It was an incredibly tense moment. The scientists knew that the bomb, nicknamed “Gadget”, would shape the future of the world. However, they also believed it could end World War II. Although the war in Europe had concluded, U.S. authorities feared that the bloodiest phase of the war was still ahead. They hoped to force Japan’s surrender rather than threaten the use of this new weapon. The secret test was successful.
On August 6 and 9, 1945, the U.S. dropped the two bombs that Oppenheimer helped develop on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively. At least 110,000 people died in the blasts, annihilating both cities on an unprecedented scale. Oppenheimer had been part of the scientific council that urged the War Department to deploy the bombs on Japan as soon as possible. Controversy persists over whether the government heeded scientists’ calls to drop the bombs only on military targets or even to conduct a public demonstration before attempting to force Japan to surrender.
Oppenheimer spent much of his life advocating for the prevention of nuclear weapons. (Photo: The Thomas Jefferson Hour).
The night before the Hiroshima bombing, Oppenheimer was cheered by a crowd of fellow scientists at Los Alamos, declaring that his only regret was not finishing the bomb in time to use it against the German army. However, despite the excitement over the achievement, the scientists were horrified by the loss of life caused by the attack, fearing that nuclear weapons could provoke rather than prevent future wars. A few weeks after the bombings, Oppenheimer wrote a letter to the Secretary of War warning that “the safety of this nation cannot rest wholly or even primarily on the strength of science or technology. It can only be based on making future wars impossible.”
Some argue that the invention of the atomic bomb contributed to the earlier-than-expected end of World War II. After witnessing the devastating consequences of the atomic bomb, Oppenheimer felt he had become the “destroyer” of the world with his creation of this dangerous weapon.
In October 1945, after leaving the Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer met with President Truman. During this meeting, he stated that his hands were stained with the blood of the victims of the two atomic bombings in Japan.
Oppenheimer spent much of his life advocating for the prevention of nuclear weapons, opposing the U.S. development of more powerful thermonuclear bombs. He believed that the U.S. should consider using tactical nuclear weapons and pursue other applications of nuclear technology, such as energy production.
Oppenheimer never returned to work for the government; instead, he founded the World Academy of Arts and Sciences and continued to teach science until his death in 1967.
