Perhaps the most amazing thing about the Manhattan Project is how well the secrecy of the massive operation was kept. Vice President Harry Truman, a very well informed former senator active in investigating war industries, had no clue until after FDR died and he was told about the project.
The tight security of the Manhattan Project didn’t stop Klaus Fuchs though.
True. The error was letting the Brits in.
David Greenglass wasn’t British.
Machinist Greenglass was the major slip up in the security system.
Truman was obviously a quick study.
There was also Theodore Hall, among others.
The contrast in personalities between Gen. Groves and Oppenheimer could not have been more stark.
Correct Greg, and that helps explain the attraction of the story. They were both exposed to worlds, the Army for Oppenheimer and theoretical physics for Groves, that they never thought they would have to deal with.
Wasn’t Groves an engineer as well?
Yes. He ramrodded the building of the Pentagon under budget and before its date of completion, as unprecedented for a government project then as it would be now. Groves was the administrator supreme, a human bulldozer who could get maximum effort out of everyone, including himself. An officer who worked under Groves called him a SOB, but also said that if he had a massive task, seemingly impossible to accomplish, Groves was the man he would want in charge.
The YouTube video brings up Richard Feynman. Feynman had a thing for filing cabinet and safe cracking. He discusses it at the end of lecture that he gave ‘Richard Feynman Lecture — “Los Alamos From Below”‘
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY-u1qyRM5w
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The safe cracking material starts at around the 1:09:00 minute mark. The entire lecture does include material about Feynman dealing with security in the Manhattan Project.
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There is also a short clip about Feynman getting arrested by Los Alamos fence security. “Richard Feynman on Getting Arrested by Los Alamos Fence Security – Funny Clip!”
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNNfkIE7uYs
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