At the end of World War II, J. Robert Oppenheimer was one of
America's preeminent physicists. For his work as director of the
Manhattan Project, he was awarded the Medal for Merit, the highest
honor the U.S. government can bestow on a civilian. Yet, in 1953,
Oppenheimer was denied security clearance amidst allegations that
he was "more probably than not" an "agent of the Soviet Union."
Determined to clear his name, he insisted on a hearing before the
Atomic Energy Commission's Personnel Security Board.
In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer contains an edited and
annotated transcript of the 1954 hearing, as well as the various
reports resulting from it. Drawing on recently declassified FBI
files, Richard Polenberg's introductory and concluding essays
situate the hearing in the Cold War period, and his thoughtful
analysis helps explain why the hearing was held, why it turned out
as it did, and what that result meant, both for Oppenheimer and for
the United States.
Among the forty witnesses who testified were many who had played
vitally important roles in the making of U.S. nuclear policy:
Enrico Fermi, Hans Bethe, Edward Teller, Vannevar Bush, George F.
Kennan, and Oppenheimer himself. The hearing provides valuable
insights into the development of the atomic bomb and the postwar
debate among scientists over the hydrogen bomb, the conflict
between the foreign policy and military establishments over
national defense, and the controversy over the proper standards to
apply in assessing an individual's loyalty. It reveals as well the
fears and anxieties that plagued America during the Cold War
era.
General
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