The recruitment of Julius Robert Oppenheimer was a crucial decision for the success of the Manhattan Project during 1939 – 1945. Julius Robert Oppenheimer was one of the physicist recruited for the Manhattan Project, however Oppenheimer was chairman of the Los Alamos Laboratory (a.k.a the Manhattan Project), he was also responsible for research and design of an atomic bomb. General Leslie R. Groves was hands-on in the Los Alamos Laboratory (a.k.a the Manhattan project) and General Leslie R. Groves recruited Oppenheimer for the Manhattan project. However, there were other individuals that were recruited that were equally significant to Julius Robert Oppenheimer’s recruitment. This essay will evaluate the significance of the recruitment of Julius Robert Oppenheimer to the success of the Manhattan Project. First, the process of recruiting Oppenheimer will be considered, second the overall significance of Julius Robert Oppenheimer’s recruitment, third the recruitment of other scientists, engineers, physicists, etc. and their significance.
To begin, the recruitment of Julius Robert Oppenheimer could be controversial. During 1939 – 1945, America as a whole feared communists and were unsure who was or wasn’t a secret Soviet spy, therefore recruiting individuals for the Manhattan Project was difficult. However, Julius Robert Oppenheimer around the age of 10 was studying minerals, physics, and chemistry, which concluded in Oppenheimer being highly experienced for being recruited for the Manhattan Project. Not only that but Julius Robert Oppenheimer majored in Chemistry at Harvard University in the year of 1922, however developed a passion for physics. The significance of Oppenheimer majoring in Chemistry at Harvard is that Harvard is exceedingly prestigious and academically on top compared to the majority of other Universities. Julius Robert Oppenheimer later became a professor at the University of California and the California Institute of Technology. Due to Julius Robert Oppenheimer’s academic history, it made him eligible to be recruited for the Manhattan Project, since the job would require understanding chemistry, physics, etc. Not only was that, however the man who recruited him, General Leslie Groves was convinced that there were no one else for the job besides Julius Robert Oppenheimer. In October 1942, General Leslie Groves and J. Robert Oppenheimer met, which ‘Oppenheimer was straightforward, did not act like a typical scientist, and seemed to be realistic about the importance of security, ” In which, drawn General Leslie Groves’ likings toward J. Robert Oppenheimer. Despite, Oppenheimer was ‘… strongly communistic…’ to the War Department investigators, General Leslie Groves did not doubt Oppenheimer’s loyalty. General Groves personally ordered Oppenheimer security clearance, disregarding the security people intimidating them. The recruitment process of Julius Robert Oppenheimer was not difficult at all since he hit it off with General Leslie Groves from their first encounters.
In addition, Julius Robert Oppenheimer’s recruitment was significant due to his excellent academic history and due to the outcome of the Manhattan Project. General Leslie Groves saw Oppenheimer as persuasive, a consummate actor, and had great charm. Which General Leslie Groves saw as an advantage to bring people with arduous personalities together and work as a team. Julius Robert Oppenheimer not only was head of the Manhattan Project, he also made the proposal for the bomb lab site of the Manhattan Project, the mesa of Los Alamos. In November 16th, 1942, Oppenheimer and General Groves drove to Los Alamos and General Leslie Groves decided that it was the place. Oppenheimer’s recruitment was not only significant due to how he proposed the location of the Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer was also a preeminent recruiter. Due to Oppenheimer’s persuasiveness, the Manhattan Project most likely would not have had America’s top physicist. Oppenheimer was also in charged of the recruitment for other physicist, mathematicians, chemists, machinists, etc. Even though, not experienced in organizing and handling bir group like being chairman of an organization, yet Oppenheimer was fit for the job and had all the requirements to be head on the Manhattan Project. Julius Robert Oppenheimer essentially commenced and or established the Manhattan Project due to what he was capable of.
Despite Julius Robert Oppenheimer, the Manhattan Project was not just him alone there were many other intellectual individuals. A few other individuals that were recruited for the Manhattan Project are Robert Bacher, Philip Morrison, Victor Weisskopf, and Donald Hornig. All those physicists and chemists were also significant to the success of the Manhattan Project due to how they were America’s top physicists and or chemists. Robert Bacher was significant to the Manhattan Project since he was a nuclear physicist, which makes him qualified to work at the Los Alamos Laboratory. In 1943, Robert Bacher was chief of the experimental physics division at Los Alamos and a year later the bomb physics division. Robert Bacher is extremely significant due to how he was responsible for designing the bomb ‘Fat Man.’ Philip Morrison was also a physicist, however unlike Robert Bacher Philip studied under Oppenheimer at University of California, Berkeley. Both Robert Bacher’s and Philip Morrison’s recruitments were significant because there both worked on the assembly of ‘Fat Man.’ A man at 23 years of age obtained his Phd, that man was Victor Weisskopf a nuclear physicist. Victor Weisskopf is considered as one of the lower level workers in the Manhattan Project, although Victor Weisskopf’s recruitment was equally significant to the rest due to him working in the Deputy Division Leader of the Theoretical Division, in which he dealt with the prospective aftermath of using the bomb. Lastly Donald Hornig was really significant to the success of the Manhattan Project. Similar to Julius Robert Oppenheimer, Donald Hornig majored in chemistry from Harvard University. In 1944, Donald Horning was responsible for monitoring the nuclear atomic bombs overnight before the day the bombs were to be fired since the bombs could have been easily sabotaged. Despite, the other physicists and or chemists recruited, J. Robert Oppenheimer was the personnel that recruited all of those men and numerous others. Without Oppenheimer a vast majority of the scientists, physicists, chemists, etc. would not have been recruited for the Manhattan Project, nonetheless the Manhattan Project probably would not have a location either. Additionally, Julius Robert Oppenheimer is referred to as ‘father of the atomic bomb,’ because he was the foundation to the Manhattan Project.
In conclusion, the recruitment of Julius Robert Oppenheimer was significant to the success of the Manhattan Project due to countless reasons. Firstly, Oppenheimer was a exceedingly high experienced person for the position of being chairman of the Manhattan Project due to his high education of studying minerals, physics, and chemistry at an extremely young age. Secondly, J. Robert Oppenheimer’s way of speech was persuasive and he was a charming man overall that if he desired to recruit a physicist to be involved in the Manhattan Project he was so persuasive that he managed to get almost whatever person needed and or wanted required for the job. For instance, ”He spoke with a kind of mystical earnestness that captured our imagination,’ recalled one recruit.’ Moreover, Oppenheimer proposed the bomb lab to be at the mesa of Los Alamos due to how it was remote and isolated. Additionally, there were other scientists,chemists, physicists, etc. that were significant to the success of the Manhattan Project such as Robert Bacher, Philip Morrison, Victor Weisskopf, and Donald Hornig. However, their significance to the Manhattan Project began with Julius Robert Oppenheimer recruiting them.