J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb

March 6 – 27, 2021
$300/person

This may sound like a technical or dark subject, but the fact is that Robert Oppenheimer is one of the most fascinating individuals in American history. Of the ten or so historical characters I have portrayed, Oppenheimer is in many respects my favorite. He is a true tragic figure in the Aristotelean sense, a great man who was struck down by fate but not without some complicity in his own character and actions.

We will explore the breakthroughs in physics that led to the splitting of the atom in 1938; the origins of the Manhattan Project as a way of beating Adolf Hitler to the bomb; the world of Los Alamos; the partnership between Oppenheimer and General Leslie Groves; the crisis of conscience that followed the surrender of Germany following Hitler’s suicide in the spring of 1945; the decision to drop the bomb on Japanese cities; the destruction of Oppenheimer by the most virulent forces of the Cold War in America; the twilight years of Oppenheimer’s life, including his rehabilitation as a kind of cult figure in American science.

Class sessions for this four-week course will be held via Zoom on Saturday mornings March 6 – 27, 2021 (time TBD) with Zoom office hours Wednesday evenings.