The Los Alamos Hero
A moral conflict brought Oppenheimer’s career at the brink of collapse.
How much-talented scientist you are, not complying with government interests can cost you the career.
Something similar happened with Robert Oppenheimer.
The father of the nuclear bomb faced a deep crisis because he opposed the H-bomb concept.
Robert’s intelligence was unparalleled.
He headed the Los Alamos lab at Manhattan that developed both atom bombs, Little Boy & Fat Man.
His credible leadership put smart scientists together to work & created those destructive weapons.
His morale was justified until Aug 1945 when he witnessed the immense destructive power of these newborn arms, completing destroying two Japanese cities.
Robert felt he had blood on his hands.
Soon his stand got altered & he objected development of Hydrogen-bomb.
But the US Atomic Energy dept was too eager to liver H-bomb project.
It was led by his former Los Alamos colleague Edward Teller & a conflict became obvious between the two.
His active criticism of the H-bomb project & ties to the American Communist Party got his security clearance revoked.
Another clearance was requested later but he denied, partly because of the guilt feelings he had.
That ended his influential uprise in American bureaucracy.
