Known as the “Father of the Atomic Bomb,” J. Robert Oppenheimer was conflicted about developing the weapons that were unleashed in World War II.
Oppenheimer, who led the Manhattan Project, expressed regret after two of the atomic bombs he helped create killed several hundred thousand people in Japan.
After World War II, he worked to stop the proliferation of atomic bombs and larger weapons, like the hydrogen bomb.
Alex Wellerstein, historian of nuclear weapons and author of “Restricted Data: The History of Nuclear Secrecy in the United States,” described Oppenheimer is a “tricky figure” because he wasn’t easily categorized as pro-nuclear, or anti-nuclear.
“He always defended making and using the bombs during World War II,” Wellerstein said. “On the other hand, he thought that the appropriate response … was to make sure that they could never be used again.”
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Reporting by Courtney Norris and William Brangham. This video was produced and edited by Tim McPhillips, Julia Griffin, Yasmeen Alamiri and Steff Staples.
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