Summary
- The Manhattan Project was a secret project established during World War Two to develop nuclear weapons before the Nazis. It involved renowned scientists, engineers, and military officers.
- The project operated under strict secrecy, with only a small number of officials and scientists knowing its full scope. Participants were forbidden from discussing the project with outsiders.
- The project moved from Manhattan to more remote areas for security, safety, and better resources. It utilized multiple sites to accommodate the large number of people involved and to minimize the risk of accidents and espionage.
One of history’s most influential schemes was the Manhattan Project, the main focus of Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer. Established in August 1942 under the authority of the United States Army Corps of Engineers and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the project united some of the most renowned scientists, engineers, and military officers in the world to develop atomic weapons. Its origins can be traced back further, however, with Albert Einstein’s letter to FDR in 1939 warning the president about the Nazis’ potential development of nuclear weapons and suggesting he do the same. The letter was held in high regard by the president, who would oversee the project from then on.
The true aim of the Manhattan Project was to develop nuclear weapons before the Nazis did, thus stopping the enemy from winning World War Two. The project had several major research and production facilities across the United States, including Hanford, Washington, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and most famously Los Alamos, New Mexico, where J. Robert Oppenheimer oversaw the design and development of weapons. Naturally, it operated under strict secrecy, allowing only a small number of officials and scientists knowledge of its full scope, while restricting its participants to speaking of the work to no one uninvolved. The project would culminate with the destruction of Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, ending the war.
The Manhattan Project’s Name Came From Its Original Location
The primary reason for it being named the Manhattan Project was that its headquarters were located in the New York City borough, as that was where the idea was first conceived. Its inconspicuous title was also a way for officials to maintain secrecy and keep the true nature of the project from the public and spies that might be seeking United States plans. By naming it as it was, the details of the Manhattan Project were easily disguised as routine construction or scientific research that would generally be associated with a metropolitan area like Manhattan. In short, it needed a codename that lacked suspiciousness.
Even within the project, information was shared discriminately and compartmentally, meaning that many involved only knew what was absolutely essential to their specific role. That meant that many working on the Manhattan Project did not know that the overall goal was to build an atomic weapon to be used on the Nazis and their allies, so by calling it the Manhattan Project, its directors kept those same workers in the dark. If a worker was asked by someone outside the project what they were working on, they could say “The Manhattan Project” and not have to worry about any delicate information being leaked.
Why The Manhattan Project Moved Beyond Its Manhattan Office
As the Manhattan Project progressed, it was naturally essential for its operations to move to more remote areas where it was easier for officials to implement security and safety measures. Remaining in Manhattan came with the risk of physically harming the millions of citizens in one of the world’s densest metropolitan areas, but also of leaking information into a borough that likely had spies in its streets. There was also the added factor of better resources elsewhere, which was especially true for Tennessee, where hydroelectric power was abundant, and its geography was much better for enrichment processes. It, like New Mexico, was also much more spacious – an essential requirement for the project.
Unsurprisingly, numerous radioactive materials were used during the Manhattan Project, which meant that empty locations were essential for its development. Having these rural locations meant that civilians were less exposed to whatever accidents might occur during the project, while also keeping the work from prying eyes and threats of espionage. Multiple sites meant that collaboration between the 130,000 total people employed by the project was much more efficient. Scientists, engineers, and military personnel traveled from across the world to work on Oppenheimer's Manhattan Project, which meant it tricky trying to fit them all into one location, especially when that one location was as condensed as New York City.
