Manhattan Project Park in the News 

The Oppenheimer House at Los Alamos

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park legislation currently under consideration has received nationwide attention in the past few weeks. Because Congress was in recess for much of August, Senator Jeff Bingaman and Congressman Doc Hastings have not had the opportunity to move the legislation forward. But the Park received a hugely significant endorsement by the Washington Post, which published an editorial advocating the establishment of the Park. 

The piece calls the Park "a fine idea," explaining, "Given [the three Manhattan Project sites'] importance in the histories of the United States, the Cold War and the 20th century, Congress should pass the park designation bill by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) and companion legislation by Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.)." The editorial concludes, 

"[The Manhattan Project] encompasses a seminal moment in world history, one that surely warrants the wider audience this legislative push would bring." 

It is rare for the Washington Post to write an editorial advocating the creation of a new national park, so the editorial is especially significant and timely. The leadership of the 112th Congress needs to makes sure that the legislation is enacted.

The Gun Site at Los Alamos

On August 8, CBS aired an excellent segment on the proposed Manhattan Project National Historical Park during its show, CBS This Morning. Lee Cowan, a CBS national correspondent, traveled to Los Alamos, NM to view the sites. Ellen McGehee, Los Alamos National Laboratory's historic buildings manager, gave Cowan a tour of the restored V-Site, where the "Gadget," the first plutonium-based atomic explosive, was assembled by Manhattan Project scientists; the Gun Site, where the "Little Boy" bomb was assembled; and the Quonset Hut, where assembly work on the "Fat Man" bomb was done before it was shipped to Tinian. 

Cowan also interviewed Helene Suydam, 92. Since 1951, she has lived in the house where J. Robert Oppenheimer and his family lived during the Manhattan Project when he directed the laboratory at Los Alamos. In 2004, Mrs. Suydam has agreed to leave the house to the Los Alamos Historical Society. Commenting on a photo taken of Oppenheimer in the house, she remarked that she "has not changed a thing."

Other news articles on the legislation include articles in Yahoo News, the Tri-City News Tribune, the New Scientist, and the Japan Times. AHF President Cindy Kelly was interviewed for the last two pieces.

Ask Your Congressmen to Support the Bill! 

August 6 and 9, 2012 represent the 67th anniversaries of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This fall AHF and the Los Alamos Historical Society will launch a website, "Voices of the Manhattan Project," featuring oral histories of Manhattan Project veterans. Here are a few excerpts of interviews conducted by AHF with Manhattan Project veterans, highlighting how they feel about the decision to drop the bomb.  

Robert Furman receiving the Legion of Merit from General Groves in December 1945. Courtesy of the Patricia Cox Owen Collection.

Robert Furman, Assistant to General Leslie Groves; interview conducted on February 20, 2008: "It's a miracle the bomb was developed. It's wonderful that we were able to use it to end the war. If it had not occurred--if the bomb had not been dropped and the war had continued, thousands of people would have died on both sides, particularly if we had invaded Japan. We might be talking about a million people in such a terrible invasion process."

Gordon Knobeloch, Los Alamos chemist; interview conducted on November 16, 2005: "It was the scientists who made the bomb, but it wasn't our decision to drop it. That was up to the military or the president, Harry Truman. And Truman truly had no option. I mean, what if he had decided not to use it and gone ahead with a bloody invasion of Japan, which might have failed, but, in any event, that would have killed a lot of people."

Oak Ridgers celebrating the surrender of Japan

Mary Michel, K-25 worker; interview conducted on June 18, 2005: "The night that the news broke that the bombs had been dropped, there was joyous occasions in the streets [in Oak Ridge], hugging and kissing and dancing and live music and singing that went on for hours and hours. But it bothered me to know that I, in my very small way, had participated in such a thing, and I sat in my dorm room and cried."

Ray Stein, Oak Ridge SED; interview conducted June 18, 2005: "I belong to a World War II roundtable and several of them said, "We were on our way to Japan when they dropped the bomb, and they turned around and sent us home." And it just saved so many lives, even though it was unfortunate having to use it. But it did save a lot of lives of Japanese people, and our men."

To read more from these interviews, please click here. 

Thanks very much for your interest in the Manhattan Project and preserving its history for future generations. Your contributions help us continue to work on preserving the Manhattan Project's historic sites and creating a national historical park. 

Thank you very much for your support!