8.+++++++J.+Robert+Oppenheimer+and+the+Manhattan+Projec

Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project

Profile Name- Lynley Bennett Birthdate- July 2nd, 1939 Date of incident- July 16th, 1945 Interests- movies, dancing, and being with friends General information- witnessed the testing of the atomic bomb in Alamagordo New Mexico. She is the daughter of a scientist that helped work on the Manhattan Project under J. Robert Oppenheimer. Scrapbook #2 Hello journal, it’s Lynley. It is July 16th, 1945, and I just witnessed something that father says will go down in history. You see, today I stood with my father, a select few number of other workers, and J. Robert Oppenheimer himself while they tested the atomic bomb that they have spent years completing. My dad has been working on the Manhattan Project since about 1943. The Manhattan Project is a code name for the project that was thought up because of how it was placed under the responsibility of the Army Corps of Engineer’s Manhattan Engineer District (Roberts 1). It is led by General Leslie Groves, who my father speaks highly of (Danzer, Klor de Alva, Krieger, Wilson, Woloch; Roberts 1; Tatarewicz 1). Though my father thinks of Groves highly (after all, he just finished building the Pentagon!), he really looks up to his boss on the project, J. Roberts Oppenheimer. My father has been working under him in the plant near Los Alamos, New Mexico, where we live now (Tatarewicz 1). My father worked with fellow scientists, as well as physicists, chemists, and engineers (Roberts 2). At first, the project had to pass through with President Roosevelt, and he approved after Vannevar Bush among others convinced his that developing an atomic bomb would be crucial to our success in this world war (Roberts 1; Tatarewicz 1). At first, my father was upset morally with the though of an atomic bomb destroying so many lives, and others felt the same way (Roberts 3). Oppenheimer as well as others was afraid that the invention of such a powerful nuclear weapon would just lead to more nuclear war (Roberts 3). Still, they designed and built it, and I witnessed today what is called the “Trinity” test, which specifically tested a plutonium- based bomb that they code named “Little Boy” (Danzer, Klor de Alva, Krieger, Wilson, Woloch; Roberts 2; Tatarewicz 2). While its frightening how many lives it can destroy, I must admit I am proud of my father for helping create something that may help us win this war. http://www.fofweb.com/NuHistory/default.asp?ItemID=WE52&NewItemID=True http://www.fofweb.com/NuHistory/default.asp?ItemID=WE52&NewItemID=True .
 * This is an image of two pages of my father’s notebook, where he kept important data and information while working on the atomic bombs. **
 * This is a picture of J. Roberts Oppenheimer, who was my father’s boss on the Manhattan Project. **