American History Tellers

The Manhattan Project | Secret Cities | 2

Jan 17, 2024

Scientists rush to create an atomic bomb during World War II. The challenges of maintaining secrecy and preventing enemy interference. Arrival of Neil's Boar and concerns about a nuclear arms race. The process of uranium production and operations at Oak Ridge. Debate over testing the atomic bomb and uncovering Soviet espionage. Tensions between the US and USSR during the countdown to the Trinity atomic bomb test.

38:21

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Quick takeaways

Scientists at Los Alamos had two main designs for the atomic bomb: the gun approach and the implosion method, each with its own challenges.

Renowned physicist Niels Bohr visited Los Alamos and expressed concerns about the post-war nuclear arms race and advocated for openness in sharing atomic knowledge.

Klaus Fuchs, a physicist at Los Alamos, secretly relayed information about the atomic bomb to Soviet spies, including design specifications for a plutonium bomb.

Deep dives

Setting up at Los Alamos

In April 1943, scientists specializing in substance purification and production moved to Los Alamos, a top-secret location in New Mexico, to work on a project that would help the United States win the war. They were tasked with developing a military weapon in the form of an atomic bomb.

Introduction

3min

The Manhattan Project and Reflections on the War Effort

2min

The Creation of the Manhattan Project

12min

Concerns, Surveillance, and Progress

4min

Arrival of Neil's Boar and Concerns about Nuclear Arms Race

7min

Uranium Production and Operations at Oak Ridge

3min

Testing the Atomic Bomb and Espionage

8min

Negotiations and the Countdown to the Trinity Test

3min

In Spring of 1943, hundreds of scientists and technicians moved to a remote location in the mountains of New Mexico to work at a secret laboratory. Under the guidance of their leader, J. Robert Oppenheimer, they rushed to figure out how to channel the power of an atomic chain reaction to create a bomb. Meanwhile, secret plants in Tennessee and Washington sprung up overnight to produce the uranium and plutonium that would fuel the weapon.

But the leaders of the Manhattan Project faced another challenge: how to keep such a sprawling enterprise hidden from enemies and prevent the designs from falling into the wrong hands.

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