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Manhattan Project: The Birth of the Atomic Bomb in the Words of Its Creators, Eyewitnesses and Historians.
The definitive collection of writings on the Manhattan Project by the pre-eminent scientists, historians, and the everyday observers who bore witness to the birth of the modern nuclear age.
Begun in 1939, the Manhattan Project eventually employed more than 130,000 people, including our foremost scientists and thinkers, and cost nearly $2 billion, while operating under a shroud of absolute secrecy. This groundbreaking collection of documents, essays, articles, and excerpts from histories, biographies, plays, novels, letters, and the oral histories of key eyewitnesses provides unique perspectives for the historian and student of history all compiled by experts at the Atomic Heritage Foundation. Photographs throughout depict key moments and pivotal figures. The Manhattan Project gives actual voice to a significant period in history.
Begun in 1939, the Manhattan Project eventually employed more than 130,000 people, including our foremost scientists and thinkers, and cost nearly $2 billion, while operating under a shroud of absolute secrecy. This groundbreaking collection of documents, essays, articles, and excerpts from histories, biographies, plays, novels, letters, and the oral histories of key eyewitnesses provides unique perspectives for the historian and student of history all compiled by experts at the Atomic Heritage Foundation. Photographs throughout depict key moments and pivotal figures. The Manhattan Project gives actual voice to a significant period in history.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published September 17, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
May 3, 2014
I feel like I've lived my life under an atomic cloud. My birthday is on Hiroshima Day. So every birthday also falls on an anniversary of this event. I grew up with bomb shelter exercises at my school and watched President Kennedy talk to the nation about the Cuban Missile Crisis. There was a stretch in October 1962 where we didn't know whether we would wake to see another day. Over the years, I wonder if we've become inured to the potential horror of the use of nuclear weapons. Perhaps for this reason, it is good to read this book and to understand the terror unleashed on the earth because of the Manhatten Project and the desperate race to build the bomb before Hitler could.
This book is a collection of primary documents and eyewitness accounts from the earliest warnings of the danger of Germany building the bomb to more recent statements about the continuing threats of nuclear proliferation. What is striking in this collection is that Kelly has "stitched" these together in a way that provides a more or less seamless narrative of the Manhatten Project and its aftermath and yet speaks with a vividness because of the eyewitness character of this narrative.
We read the early warnings about the possibility of this weapon of mass destruction including Einstein's letter to President Roosevelt. The beginnings of Allied efforts to build the bomb following the MAUD report including narratives of the first nuclear chain reaction by Enrico Fermi and a young Richard Feynman talking about the great scientists he worked alongside at Los Alamos. We read a number of the profiles of the two leaders of this effort, overall director General Leslie Groves, and Scientific Director J. Robert Oppenheimer, an unlikely but effective pairing. We see the development of secret research facilities in Oakridge, Hanford and Los Alamos and the excitement of everyone from scientists to the high school educated women and blacks who played crucial support roles in being involved in this urgent race to build the bomb while still facing barriers of gender and race.
Alongside this incredible research effort, we have accounts of a darker side as well. One is the infiltration of the project by spies who gathered sufficient information to jump start the Soviet project, giving them the bomb by 1949. We have the Trinity Test in July 1945 and the vary responses from awe to elation to urgent appeals of some scientists to not use this weapon against the Japanese. Then we have eyewitness accounts from the air and ground of the dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the peculiar disease of radiation sickness suffered by survivors exposed to deadly fallout--not a mark on their bodies and yet they became ill and died.
The concluding sections of the book include reflections on the bomb including arguments about why we used it. Was it really to avoid invasion and save lives as President Truman and others argued, or was it to check Soviet ambitions at the outset of the new 'cold' war? Finally, we have documents that reflect our struggle to live with and limit these weapons stretching from the 1950s until 2007, when several former Secretaries of State as well as Mikhail Gorbachev published articles in the Wall Street Journal.
Most intriguing to me was the fascination of Oppenheimer and others with atomic bomb research as a research problem and the interesting mental rationale this involved in separating the thrill of the research from the moral implications of the use of these weapons. Not all could sustain this. Joseph Rotblat left the project when he realized the Germans would not build the bomb and became a disarmament advocate. Leo Szilard organized scientists to appeal to the President not to use this weapon.
Nuclear arms are in fact proliferating with more countries joining "the nuclear club". There may be more possibility now that these weapons could actually be used now than in the 'Cold War' when Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) created a climate in which there use was unthinkable. It is scary to consider that some are thinking the unthinkable, which makes a collection like this more timely than ever. It is some comfort on my birthday to think that no nuclear weapons have been used in war since those days in August of 1945 and my prayer that it might always be so.
This book is a collection of primary documents and eyewitness accounts from the earliest warnings of the danger of Germany building the bomb to more recent statements about the continuing threats of nuclear proliferation. What is striking in this collection is that Kelly has "stitched" these together in a way that provides a more or less seamless narrative of the Manhatten Project and its aftermath and yet speaks with a vividness because of the eyewitness character of this narrative.
We read the early warnings about the possibility of this weapon of mass destruction including Einstein's letter to President Roosevelt. The beginnings of Allied efforts to build the bomb following the MAUD report including narratives of the first nuclear chain reaction by Enrico Fermi and a young Richard Feynman talking about the great scientists he worked alongside at Los Alamos. We read a number of the profiles of the two leaders of this effort, overall director General Leslie Groves, and Scientific Director J. Robert Oppenheimer, an unlikely but effective pairing. We see the development of secret research facilities in Oakridge, Hanford and Los Alamos and the excitement of everyone from scientists to the high school educated women and blacks who played crucial support roles in being involved in this urgent race to build the bomb while still facing barriers of gender and race.
Alongside this incredible research effort, we have accounts of a darker side as well. One is the infiltration of the project by spies who gathered sufficient information to jump start the Soviet project, giving them the bomb by 1949. We have the Trinity Test in July 1945 and the vary responses from awe to elation to urgent appeals of some scientists to not use this weapon against the Japanese. Then we have eyewitness accounts from the air and ground of the dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the peculiar disease of radiation sickness suffered by survivors exposed to deadly fallout--not a mark on their bodies and yet they became ill and died.
The concluding sections of the book include reflections on the bomb including arguments about why we used it. Was it really to avoid invasion and save lives as President Truman and others argued, or was it to check Soviet ambitions at the outset of the new 'cold' war? Finally, we have documents that reflect our struggle to live with and limit these weapons stretching from the 1950s until 2007, when several former Secretaries of State as well as Mikhail Gorbachev published articles in the Wall Street Journal.
Most intriguing to me was the fascination of Oppenheimer and others with atomic bomb research as a research problem and the interesting mental rationale this involved in separating the thrill of the research from the moral implications of the use of these weapons. Not all could sustain this. Joseph Rotblat left the project when he realized the Germans would not build the bomb and became a disarmament advocate. Leo Szilard organized scientists to appeal to the President not to use this weapon.
Nuclear arms are in fact proliferating with more countries joining "the nuclear club". There may be more possibility now that these weapons could actually be used now than in the 'Cold War' when Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) created a climate in which there use was unthinkable. It is scary to consider that some are thinking the unthinkable, which makes a collection like this more timely than ever. It is some comfort on my birthday to think that no nuclear weapons have been used in war since those days in August of 1945 and my prayer that it might always be so.
June 26, 2020
Very good collection of essays and articles on the Manhattan Project and the bombing afterward. Some of the writing is very scientific and some is down home folksy-with practically every style in between these two present as well. The one main downfall was that it reference another book, “The making of the Atomic Bomb, several times and it appears that if one wants to learn more about the project or the people involved, that is the place to start.
December 27, 2012
I was really excited to read this book but once I got it open I was incredibly disappointed. I found that it was a series of letters about the Manhattan Project put into an order to show a rather boring story. There were some interesting eyewitness accounts to such things as the trinity test and the actual bomb being dropped. I would not recommend this to someone who wants an interesting recommendation but a person who likes primary source material or someone writing a paper on the Manhattan Project, this would be perfect.
March 10, 2018
Historical fans need more books like this available to them. Curated collections of the words and writings of the players involved in all aspects of an event. The Manhattan Project from conception to the aftermath of the world it created was one hell of an event, and the bell it struck is still vibrating with a deep, ominous ring..
July 14, 2018
While not one who enjoys studying history in general, I've always been fascinated by World War II. While recently visiting Los Alamos, NM, I picked up this book. A collection of first hand accounts of the Manhattan Project, the dropping of the atomic bombs, and the aftermath, this made for very interesting reading, especially as I was in a place so key to all these developments.
In retrospect, I should have read "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" by Richard Rhodes first (it's next on my reading list) as I think a straightforward history followed by this book fleshing the account out with people's stories might have been the better order. Even so, I enjoyed this book. It's both an historical account and a collection of thought provoking material about how the bomb could have been used differently and how we should think about weapons like this even now.
In retrospect, I should have read "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" by Richard Rhodes first (it's next on my reading list) as I think a straightforward history followed by this book fleshing the account out with people's stories might have been the better order. Even so, I enjoyed this book. It's both an historical account and a collection of thought provoking material about how the bomb could have been used differently and how we should think about weapons like this even now.
January 16, 2011
A collection of brief passages written by others about the Manhattan Project to build the first Atomic Bombs during World War II. The value of this book is that it includes often-referenced, but otherwise hard-to-find selections. It is also very much up to date, whereas even the best books on the subject are now showing their age, simply due to the fact that much material has recently been declassified. A must for the bookshelf of any person interested in atomic history, atom bombs, the early planning for the hydrogen bomb, and World War II history.
April 3, 2013
While neither the in depth story nor detailed history of the project that I was hoping for, this compilation of excerpts and commentary on one of the greatest scientific efforts mankind has produced thus far was highly educational... if a bit dry at times.
The successful secrecy of the project is mind blowing... as was finding out more regarding the largely voluntary spies who essentially leaked secrets in hopes of creating the Cold War. A good deal of information to learn here... but not terribly entertaining.
The successful secrecy of the project is mind blowing... as was finding out more regarding the largely voluntary spies who essentially leaked secrets in hopes of creating the Cold War. A good deal of information to learn here... but not terribly entertaining.
September 23, 2014
This is an anthology on the subject - a compilation of writings and letters and it is well-ordered. What I know about atomic science is close to nothing, so the first few chapters and the accounts of the scientists involved in perfecting processes was, well, really dull. Once passed that, I found the stories informative; especially the more personal observations about the main players. The book came to a disappointing end. Yes, the dropping of the bombs on Japan changed the flavor of war forever, but the wrap up information bordered on boorish.
October 7, 2010
This is a fantastic book. The editor does a brilliant job weaving first hand accounts of the scientists, engineers, technicians, administrative staff.. everyone who participated in the creation of the first atomic bomb. The stories are superbly chosen and the end narrative is surprisingly readable and of course, entertaining. I wish there were more history books written in this style. It was one of my favorite books completed last year.
December 30, 2013
This book was informative, but dry. Had it relied more on oral histories and less on transcribed speeches, had the transcribed speeches been excerpted better, the book might have been at least more interesting and still informative. It seems the book was meant more as a summary archive, though, like a barely curated file drawer that was at least shuffled into chronological order. It might be a good starting point for research, but it doesn't do a very good job of painting any sort of picture.
December 3, 2007
Overall, an uninspired collection of primary source material largely already available to and known by any serious nuke buffs. GOMBIZ, Atomic Heritage Foundation!
Want to read
January 30, 2013I assume I'll read this in the spring or summer, as reading it in the winter will only emotionally cripple me like it did when I read about hiroshima and nagasaki when i was 14.
July 29, 2018
Made for good follow up reading after completing The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Rhodes. This is not the book to start with if you are new to the subject.
March 6, 2021
This is a great addition to any library collection of WWII, physics, history of science and political history. Largely "in their own words," this collection of reports, articles, essays, and book excerpts details a vast amount of the history of The Manhattan Project. I found it enormously fascinating. I thought I had extensive knowledge of the subject until I read this. Why I read it before The Making of the Atomic Bomb, I'll never know, but I did, and it is history now. So be it. Each "chapter" of this book is short, and most can be read in under 2 minutes. I think it's a great bathroom book. Or a kitchen book. Doctor's office book. In any case, if you have any interest at all in this subject, you should really read it. You won't regret it. I promise.
August 17, 2020
I'm glad I read this suggestion instead of the others I had in my TBR queue regarding the Manhattan Project!
This covers more than just Los Alamos, it not only talks about the more well known participants but many 'average jane's. There's a map of all the locations in the US and Canada that participated in one way or another; it really expanded my mind on the subject.
I also love that this draws on the book I'd planned to read, and now don't really need to, as well as others that I now do want to read.
This covers more than just Los Alamos, it not only talks about the more well known participants but many 'average jane's. There's a map of all the locations in the US and Canada that participated in one way or another; it really expanded my mind on the subject.
I also love that this draws on the book I'd planned to read, and now don't really need to, as well as others that I now do want to read.
March 22, 2021
Summary of other sources, but a good one
Includes personal recollections of Manhattan Project scientists, spouses, and their children, as well as others involved in the Manhattan Engineering District, including Oak Ridge and Hanford. It doesn't jus tell the funny or happy kinds of stories, pulls no punches in describing the trials faced by women and African American project staff. There is a long section regarding the ethics and necessity of having used the bombs. This is a comprehensive work, one that i am glad to have finally read.
Includes personal recollections of Manhattan Project scientists, spouses, and their children, as well as others involved in the Manhattan Engineering District, including Oak Ridge and Hanford. It doesn't jus tell the funny or happy kinds of stories, pulls no punches in describing the trials faced by women and African American project staff. There is a long section regarding the ethics and necessity of having used the bombs. This is a comprehensive work, one that i am glad to have finally read.
February 7, 2021
Should be titled The Manhattan Project: Thoughts and Views.
Instead of a historical account of the MP, it is a book on the feelings of those involved in the project... mildly interesting, some insight, lots of whining and “government verbiage”. Like reading about the thoughts of King Arthur and his Knights on the way they handled the Saxon invasion.
An ok book, but not necessarily required reading if you are interested in the history of nuclear physics / Atom Bomb.
Instead of a historical account of the MP, it is a book on the feelings of those involved in the project... mildly interesting, some insight, lots of whining and “government verbiage”. Like reading about the thoughts of King Arthur and his Knights on the way they handled the Saxon invasion.
An ok book, but not necessarily required reading if you are interested in the history of nuclear physics / Atom Bomb.
October 29, 2017
It was a very interesting book for me in that I was 5 years old in 1945. I remember the celebrations in my home town but did not realize what was occurring. This book provided many opinions and insights.
I might add that I was an engineer that worked on many advanced nuclear powered systems before I retired. I have been to all 3 sites( Hanford, Oak Ridge and Los Alamos) plus others.
I might add that I was an engineer that worked on many advanced nuclear powered systems before I retired. I have been to all 3 sites( Hanford, Oak Ridge and Los Alamos) plus others.
September 24, 2023
You've seen the movie "Oppenheimer", now read the book about what actually happened, as written by the actual participants, observers and historians. From the discovery of nuclear fission in 1938 by Austrian-Swedish physicist Lise Meitner and her nephew Otto Robert Fritsch, through the development of the Manhattan Project by General Leslie R. Groves and eccentric professor J. Robert Oppenheimer to the successful Trinity Site detonation and subsequent bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It's a powerful story and the ultimate example of what can happen (with a bit of luck) when you combine the most brilliant minds of that time working together to ultimately change the world and herald the atomic era. "The Manhattan Project: The Birth of the Atomic Bomb in the Words of Its Creators, Eyewitnesses, and Historians", 2007.
October 7, 2017
I have read a lot of book about the Manhattan Project and Oppie and think this is by far the most readable account
April 26, 2020
I like how it has a large collection of primary AND secondary sources. Really makes it all the more interesting
May 21, 2022
Atomic brained
May 24, 2023
this book must be so goddamn boring for people who aren't using it for primary sources, but it's SUCH a good compilation for research... if you're just reading it for fun though it's not the best LOL
February 14, 2016
Very interesting. Spur of the moment purchase during our vacation to the Omaha Zoo in early August 2012.
Different book in that it was mainly interviews and excerpts from other books, papers, published interviews, etc. They were compiled to tell the story of the Manhattan Project and the explain who the major players/contributors were.
This would be a great book to reference if I was doing a report for a history class. Enjoyable, but probably not something I will read again. In fact, I'm planning on selling this book or donating it.
Page 408-409
"The criticisms of the atomic attacks and the conclusions of the Strategic Bombing Survey had very little discernible impact on popular support for possibiility that they might at some time be used against American cities was troubling, they did not lead to widespread reappraisal or disapproval of the use of atomic bombs against Japan. Nevertheless, even occasional expressions of dissent offended some Manhattan Project Veterans. One leading figure in the building of the bomb, James B. Conant, decided to take action to counter the critics.
******
Conant was convinced that a combat demonstration of the destructive power of atomic bombs was essential to prevent their future use. It was, he believed, 'the only way to awaken the world to the necessity of abolishing war altogether.' along with scientiefic advisers to the Interim Committee and other colleagues, Conant reasoned that the use of the bomb would not only force a prompt Japanese surrender but also shock leaders around the globe into seeking international control of nuclear weapons. 'We have had some skeptics express doubts as to whether (the bomb) is indeed a revolutionary weapon,' he remarked in 1947, 'but what skepticism ther would have been had there been no actual use in war!'
Conant had little patience with critics of the use of the bomb against Japan. Although their influence was slight, he worried about the consequences if they undermined public support for Truman's decision. One harmful result might be that the chances for arms control would be diminished. Conant believed that only if the American people clearly doemonstrated their willingness to use their atomic arsenal would hte Soviet Union be amenable to nuclear arms control agreements. Further, he feared that questions about the use of the bomb would influence teachers and students in the future in ways that distorted history. 'You may be inclined to dismiss all this talk (criticizing the use of the bomb) as representing only a small minority of the population, which I think it does,' Conant told a friend in September 1946. 'However, this type of sentimentalism, for so I regard it, is bound to have a great deal of influence on the next generation. The type of person who goes in to teaching, particularly school teaching, will be influenced a great deal by this type of argument."
This thought process led Conant to persuade Henry L. Stimson to write an article for Harper's Magazine in February 1947.
Different book in that it was mainly interviews and excerpts from other books, papers, published interviews, etc. They were compiled to tell the story of the Manhattan Project and the explain who the major players/contributors were.
This would be a great book to reference if I was doing a report for a history class. Enjoyable, but probably not something I will read again. In fact, I'm planning on selling this book or donating it.
Page 408-409
"The criticisms of the atomic attacks and the conclusions of the Strategic Bombing Survey had very little discernible impact on popular support for possibiility that they might at some time be used against American cities was troubling, they did not lead to widespread reappraisal or disapproval of the use of atomic bombs against Japan. Nevertheless, even occasional expressions of dissent offended some Manhattan Project Veterans. One leading figure in the building of the bomb, James B. Conant, decided to take action to counter the critics.
******
Conant was convinced that a combat demonstration of the destructive power of atomic bombs was essential to prevent their future use. It was, he believed, 'the only way to awaken the world to the necessity of abolishing war altogether.' along with scientiefic advisers to the Interim Committee and other colleagues, Conant reasoned that the use of the bomb would not only force a prompt Japanese surrender but also shock leaders around the globe into seeking international control of nuclear weapons. 'We have had some skeptics express doubts as to whether (the bomb) is indeed a revolutionary weapon,' he remarked in 1947, 'but what skepticism ther would have been had there been no actual use in war!'
Conant had little patience with critics of the use of the bomb against Japan. Although their influence was slight, he worried about the consequences if they undermined public support for Truman's decision. One harmful result might be that the chances for arms control would be diminished. Conant believed that only if the American people clearly doemonstrated their willingness to use their atomic arsenal would hte Soviet Union be amenable to nuclear arms control agreements. Further, he feared that questions about the use of the bomb would influence teachers and students in the future in ways that distorted history. 'You may be inclined to dismiss all this talk (criticizing the use of the bomb) as representing only a small minority of the population, which I think it does,' Conant told a friend in September 1946. 'However, this type of sentimentalism, for so I regard it, is bound to have a great deal of influence on the next generation. The type of person who goes in to teaching, particularly school teaching, will be influenced a great deal by this type of argument."
This thought process led Conant to persuade Henry L. Stimson to write an article for Harper's Magazine in February 1947.
February 21, 2017
A great compilation of first-hand accounts, news articles, memoirs, and historical analyses. Beginning with the scientific discoveries that made the bomb possible, the book took a journey through the entire history of the Manhattan Project, ending with musings on the nuclear program today. The sections are put together quite well so that pieces of writing spanning 80 years flows together like a narrative. An excellent resource for anyone interested in the history of the atomic bomb.
June 8, 2015
"So they left it for us to live with the legacies of the war. The question is, do we have the courage to overcome them?" - Tsuyoshi Hasegawa
This book is an interesting look into not only the start, development and the ultimate use of the atomic bomb, but also into the consequences and moral implications of following a mission with tenacity. This scientific achievement was beyond belief, and succeeds due to the diligence of thousands of workers...most of whom had no idea what those next to them were tasked to accomplish.
However, is there a point where one should question what it is we are working on? Once Germany was deemed to be out of the war, the mission changed from one of "beat the Axis" to one of "can we see this project through to fruition?" Were the moral compasses of all those scientists and politicians led astray by being too obsessed with accomplishing their goal? Did the actions and choices of a few save the lives of hundreds of thousands? We may never know the answer to those questions, however this summary written by J. Robert Oppenheimer may give us some guidance:
"I think we have no hope at all if we yield our belief in the value of science, in the good that it can be to the world to know about reality, about nature, to attain a gradually greater and greater control of nature, to learn, to teach, to understand. I think that if we lose our faith in this we stop being scientists, we sell out our heritage, we lose what we have the most of value for this time of crisis.
But there is another thing: we are not only scientists; we are men, too. We cannot forget our dependence, without which no science would be possible, and without which we could not work; I mean also our deep moral dependence, in that the value of science must lie in the world of men, that all our roots lie there. These are the strongest bonds in the world, stronger than those even that bind us to one another, these are the deepest bonds - that bind us to our fellow men."
This book is an interesting look into not only the start, development and the ultimate use of the atomic bomb, but also into the consequences and moral implications of following a mission with tenacity. This scientific achievement was beyond belief, and succeeds due to the diligence of thousands of workers...most of whom had no idea what those next to them were tasked to accomplish.
However, is there a point where one should question what it is we are working on? Once Germany was deemed to be out of the war, the mission changed from one of "beat the Axis" to one of "can we see this project through to fruition?" Were the moral compasses of all those scientists and politicians led astray by being too obsessed with accomplishing their goal? Did the actions and choices of a few save the lives of hundreds of thousands? We may never know the answer to those questions, however this summary written by J. Robert Oppenheimer may give us some guidance:
"I think we have no hope at all if we yield our belief in the value of science, in the good that it can be to the world to know about reality, about nature, to attain a gradually greater and greater control of nature, to learn, to teach, to understand. I think that if we lose our faith in this we stop being scientists, we sell out our heritage, we lose what we have the most of value for this time of crisis.
But there is another thing: we are not only scientists; we are men, too. We cannot forget our dependence, without which no science would be possible, and without which we could not work; I mean also our deep moral dependence, in that the value of science must lie in the world of men, that all our roots lie there. These are the strongest bonds in the world, stronger than those even that bind us to one another, these are the deepest bonds - that bind us to our fellow men."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2010
This is a sort of a Cliff Notes or Reader's Digest compilation of atomic history texts. Richard Rhodes writes the introduction, and at no point does he suggest why you need this book if you've already read his far more comprehensive The Making Of The Atomic Bomb - he probably thinks you don't. If I hadn't just come through it, I probably would have been a bit perplexed. A lot of the key figures remain sketchy, their motivations shadowy, their processes vague.
However, there are a few interesting bits that have only come to light in the 25 years since TMOTAB was published, like the stories of the three independent Russian spies within Los Alamos. I also dug the bottom-up perspectives the Atomic Heritage Foundation discovered of factory workers from Oak Ridge and Hanford.
But mainly, this book just showed me excerpts of other books I didn't know about and would now like to check out in full. Going forward: the ones by General Groves, Laura Fermi and New York Times Science Correspondent William Laurence (who was at Trinity and Nagasaki, and is a very gifted writer for a journalist).
However, there are a few interesting bits that have only come to light in the 25 years since TMOTAB was published, like the stories of the three independent Russian spies within Los Alamos. I also dug the bottom-up perspectives the Atomic Heritage Foundation discovered of factory workers from Oak Ridge and Hanford.
But mainly, this book just showed me excerpts of other books I didn't know about and would now like to check out in full. Going forward: the ones by General Groves, Laura Fermi and New York Times Science Correspondent William Laurence (who was at Trinity and Nagasaki, and is a very gifted writer for a journalist).
November 26, 2012
This is a compilation of excerpts from books, essays and interviews about the Manhattan Project. Many were about Hanford .One interesting aspect was on the racial segragation imposed when workers were recruited to come to tri cities. Other things I've read acknowledged it but in a way that is was merely reflective of the times, the excerpts here show that was not true, that it was much worse than it needed to be and worse than in many areas of the country at the time.
I was also fascinated to read about the extent of the espionage during the Manhattan Project and to read about the different motivations of people involved--and how many people's involvement was not discovered until the 90's.
And finally, the book did a great job of conveying the excitement of these smart people going to isolated places and working on this secretive challenging project. It also includes many perspectives on the wisdom of whether the bomb should have been used and the different and conflicting feelings of those who worked on the Project
I was also fascinated to read about the extent of the espionage during the Manhattan Project and to read about the different motivations of people involved--and how many people's involvement was not discovered until the 90's.
And finally, the book did a great job of conveying the excitement of these smart people going to isolated places and working on this secretive challenging project. It also includes many perspectives on the wisdom of whether the bomb should have been used and the different and conflicting feelings of those who worked on the Project
December 22, 2008
The Manhattan Project wins in my mind as the "great project". The collection of minds involved is unparalleled and this book couldn't hope to include all of them. Few of the stories that I find so fascinated or glanced over mostly out of necessity as there's only so much to be covered in 500 pages. The secondary resources, like mini-biographies as a timeline, were quite useful.
What this book covers that others on the topic don't:
-Leslie Groves, in detail
-The process leading up to the Manhattan Project
-The stories of the workers that made the project possible.
-The current state of nuclear arms
What this book does not that others on the topic do:
-More detail on the brains like Hans Bethe, Richard Feynmann, Edward Teller, and Enrico Fermi
-An abundance of technical information
What this book covers that others on the topic don't:
-Leslie Groves, in detail
-The process leading up to the Manhattan Project
-The stories of the workers that made the project possible.
-The current state of nuclear arms
What this book does not that others on the topic do:
-More detail on the brains like Hans Bethe, Richard Feynmann, Edward Teller, and Enrico Fermi
-An abundance of technical information
Read
June 2, 2013The Manhattan Project: The Birth of the Atomic Bomb in the Words of its Creators, Eyewitnesses, and Historians. Edited By Cynthia B. Kelly, with introduction by Richard Rhodes, Borrowed from the Library for the Blind.
This is an exhaustive compendium of the writings involving the creation of the atomic bomb from the original ideas of the scientists, through the creation of the Manhattan Project and its secrecy, through the initial experiment splitting the atom, through the making and using of the atomic bombs, and its aftermath. The editor does an excellent job of collecting all the views on the issue before and after the bombs were dropped, including various interpretations of motives for dropping the bombs at all. A book which should be read more than once to totally comprehend it.
This is an exhaustive compendium of the writings involving the creation of the atomic bomb from the original ideas of the scientists, through the creation of the Manhattan Project and its secrecy, through the initial experiment splitting the atom, through the making and using of the atomic bombs, and its aftermath. The editor does an excellent job of collecting all the views on the issue before and after the bombs were dropped, including various interpretations of motives for dropping the bombs at all. A book which should be read more than once to totally comprehend it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews