J. Robert Oppenheimer

Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967) was an American theoretical physicist who was a manager in the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos, New Mexico. He was a bright student and popular teacher, but never made significant contributions to the field of physics and was repeatedly passed over in the awarding of Nobel Prizes. The media generally liked Oppenheimer's politics and gave him credit as "the man who built the atomic bomb."

Oppenheimer's responsibilities in the Manhattan Project were managerial rather than scientific, and lasted only about two years (from 1943-45). As described by the United States Department of Energy's historical account:

J. Robert Oppenheimer shouldered burdens both large and small, managing the numerous mundane matters such as living quarters, mail censorship, salaries, promotions, and other "quality of life" issues that were inevitable in an intellectual pressure-cooker with few social amenities. J. Robert Oppenheimer Oppenheimer relied on a group of advisers to help him keep the "big picture" in focus, while a committee made up of Los Alamos group leaders provided day-to-day communications between divisions.

Three to four scientists under Oppenheimer's supervision leaked secret information about the atomic bomb to the communist Soviet Union. These include Klaus Fuchs, Theodore Hall, and David Greenglass. Secret Soviet Union documents reviewed in the 1990s reveal a fourth spy, code-named Perseus, who was also at Los Alamos during Oppenheimer's tenure. This spy was apparently at a high level but has never been identified, and could have been Oppenheimer himself..

Oppenheimer's best-known scientific contribution was to suggest a limit to the size of neutron stars. Larger neutron stars would collapse into black holes according to the theory of relativity.

Oppenheimer lived in Berkeley, California, and socialized with close communist friends. When Oppenheimer opposed development of the hydrogen bomb in the 1950s, an investigation into whether he lied about his communist connections resulted in the revocation of his security clearance. This infuriated liberals who then never forgave conservative scientists like Edward Teller for having testified against Oppenheimer, even though Teller was not cited in the decision to revoke Oppenheimer's security clearance.

Oppenheimer helped Congress draft the first laws covering the use and control of atomic energy.

In 1963, his clearance was reinstated by President Johnson. In the same year, the Atomic Energy Commission awarded him the Enrico Fermi Award.