Robert Oppenheimer was born in 1904, in New York City. He died in 1967.

J(ulius) Robert Oppenheimer was known as the father of the atomic bomb. From 1943 to 1945 he directed a laboratory at Los Alamos, where the designing and building (of the atomic bomb) took place. In 1947 to 1952 he headed the newly formed United States Atomic Energy Commission's advisory committee, and advised the U.S. Department of Defense. He also helped write the very 1st U.S. proposal for international control of nuclear energy! The AEC gave J. Robert Oppenheimer the highest honor it could give, the Enrico Fermi Award! After three years of study, Oppenheimer graduated from Harvard University in 1925. Oppenheimer received a doctors degree, in 1927, from the University of Gottingen in Germany. In Princeton New Jersey , Oppenheimer served as director of the Institute for Advanced Study.

Oppenheimer graduated from Harvard in three years with a Bachelor's degree in physics in 1925. Less than one year later, he published his first paper with the title On the Quantum Theory of Vibration-Rotation Bands. This was a study of frequencies and intensities of molecular band spectra derived from the new mechanics, discovered by Paul Adrian Maurice Dirac, Erwin Schroedinger, and Werner Karl Heisenberg. only in the previous year. Indeed, Oppenheimer was quick to pick up new ideas in theoretical physics.

In 1929, he accepted academic positions both at UC - Berkeley and at Cal Tech. From 1929 to 1942, he divided his time between the two institutions, and a list of his papers would show the trail of where he was at different times in his life. He had a keen sense for what was the next step that needed to be taken in nuclear physics.

He was also a great teacher; his infuence on his pupils was enhanced by his perceptive interest in people. It was this interest in personal relationships that helped him become a good leader for the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

In March 1943, Oppenheimer was assigned to the scientific directorship of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, but in reality, he had been working on this project for some time before this was official. When word came from Niels Bohr about nuclear fission, Oppenheimer started thinking about the practical release of nuclear energy

At that time in 1942, there were many universities in the United States that were working on the fission problem. Oppenheimer organized a conference in Berkeley attended by many first rate theoreticians, including Edward Teller, who, during the conference, first suggested the possibility of a nuclear bomb. A theoretical group led by by Oppenheimer proceeded to work on the potential of an atomic bomb.

When the United States government brought the atomic energy work under the auspices of the
army and put General Leslie Groves (=> external link to Los Alamos National Laboratory) in charge of the project code-named the "Manhattan Project", Oppenheimer suggested to Groves
that work on the project take place in a single laboratory. He knew that having the dispersion of scientists hampered the speed of work. The workers, including all of the theoretical physicists,
as well as the chemical engineers, metallurgists, and all of the other support personnel should
be grouped together in one facility. Groves accepted the proposal, and on Oppenheimer's
advice, chose the site of a former boy's boarding school in Los Alamos, New Mexico. The remoteness of the site increased the security of the project. Groves named Oppenheimer the facility's scientific director. None of this work was public knowledge until the first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. (Click here for more information about Groves
and the report he made to President Truman.

Oppenheimer was one of a panel of four scientists who, in May 1945, discussed the case for
the military use of the atomic bomb on Japan. The other men on the panel were A. H. Compton, Enrico Fermi, and E. O. Lawrence. Their opinion, which Oppenheimer supported, was that a demonstration of the bomb on a deserted island would not be effective, and that the only way to end the war was to use it on a real military target in a populated area.

Oppenheimer later commented in 1962, "I believe there was very little deliberation....The
actual military plans at the time... were clearly much more terrible in every way and for
everyone concerned than the use of the bomb. Nevertheless, my own feeling is that if the bombs were to be used there could have been more effective warning and much less wanton killing... " (from Dictionary of Scientific Biography, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1971. Vol. 10, p. 216). The implications of the decision to drop the bomb will continue to be studied by
historians for years to come.

In 1946, the Atomic Energy Commission was established under the McMahon Act, which
provided for civilian control of atomic energy. The commission appointed Oppenheimer as chairman of the General Advisory Committee, and he served in this capacity until 1952. The committee did more than just give technical advice; it had great influence on the policy of the commission. Oppenheimer's role on the committee was to clarify and formulate ideas. He
served on numerous committees concerned with policy questions relating to atomic weapons
and defense.

Oppenheimer's loyalty to the United States was called into question before the Gray Board in April of 1954. There were allegations that he was a communist because of his activities in the 1930s. In actuality, he was being questioned because he lacked enthusiasm for the development
of the hydrogen bomb. It must be remembered that these allegations were made during the time
of hysterical fear of communists in the Joseph McCarthy era. Further, Oppenheimer had many enemies who were delighted at this opportunity to curb his influence. Some of these enemies
were people that he had bested in scientific debates, and others were people interested in
military policy who feared his influence. As a result of the Gary Board hearings, Oppenheimer
lost his security clearance.

In 1963, however, Oppenheimer was vindicated when he received the prestigious Enrico Fermi Award, the highest prize awarded by the Atomic Energy Commission, conferred by President Johnson. Oppenheimer replied to President Johnson after receiving the award, "I think it is just possible...that it has taken some charity and some courage for you to make this award today"
(from Dictionary of Scientific Biography, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1971. Vol. 10,
p. 218).