Glenn Seaborg, winner of the 1951 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and co-discoverer of plutonium, was in charge of the separation process for removing plutonium from irradiated uranium slugs at the University of Chicago during the Manhattan Project. In his interview, he discusses the pressure to obtain high yields of plutonium, and how he eventually decided on the bismuth phosphate process, which was extremely successful. Seaborg also describes the difficulty of recruiting top scientists to work on a top-secret project, as he was not allowed to explain the importance of his work unless they agreed to join.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/glenn-seaborgs-interview

Glenn Seaborg's Interview

Dorothy McKibbin was responsible for welcoming new recruits to the Manhattan Project. Known by many as the "gatekeeper" to Los Alamos, McKibbin ran the Santa Fe office at 109 East Palace for the Los Alamos National Laboratory during World War II. She checked in the many scientists who came through Santa Fe on their way to work on the development of the atomic bomb, issuing passes and briefing them about life in the Manhattan Project. In this interview, McKibbin recalls the strict security measures in place in Santa Fe and Los Alamos and also discusses Klaus Fuchs. She also speaks about day-to-day life at Santa Fe, including the women who came to work on the Manhattan Project.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/dorothy-mckibbins-interview-1965

Dorothy McKibbin's Interview (1965)

In this rare interview, J. Robert Oppenheimer talks about the organization of the Manhattan Project and some of the scientists that he helped to recruit during the earliest days of the project. Oppenheimer discusses some of the biggest challenges that scientists faced during the project, including developing a sound method for implosion and purifying plutonium, which he declares was the most difficult aspect of the project. He discusses the chronology of the project and his first conversation with General Leslie Groves. Oppenheimer recalls his daily routine at Los Alamos, including taking his son Peter to nursery school.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/j-robert-oppenheimers-interview

J. Robert Oppenheimer's Interview

Edward Teller, considered the father of the hydrogen bomb, was a key figure in the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos. Teller goes into detail about his work on the implosion principle for the plutonium bomb and his work with John von Neumann. He recalls getting Einstein on board with the project in order to gain FDR’s approval. He talks about whether the bomb should have been first used in a demonstration for the Japan and whether he has any regrets.

Fir the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/edward-tellers-interview

Edward Teller's Interview

Leona Woods, later Leona Woods Marshall and Leona Marshall Libby, was 23 in 1942, the only woman present when Enrico Fermi's nuclear pile at the University of Chicago went critical and into the history books. She moved to Hanford in 1944 with her husband, fellow physicist John Marshall. Marshall Libby was one of the few women scientists in the Manhattan Project and probably the most well known. Even so, during an interview she laughed off questions about what it was like to be so distinctive. She did mention DuPont had been thoughtful enough to provide her with a private bathroom at the reactor buildings.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/leona-marshall-libbys-interview

Leona Marshall Libby's Interview

Dr. George Kistiakowsky was a Ukranian-American physical chemist whose contribution to the Manhattan Project included the design of the explosive lenses for the implosion-type bomb. He emigrated to the United States in 1926 and was the head of the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) before going to Los Alamos as the leader of the Explosives Division. Following the war, Kistiakowsky served as a prominent scientific advisor to the White House across many administrations. In this interview, author Richard Rhodes and Kistiakowsky discuss life at Los Alamos, the relationships between many of the scientists of the Manhattan Project, and Kistiakowsky’s contributions after the war.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/george-kistiakowskys-interview

George Kistiakowsky's Interview

George Cowan was a physical chemist who joined the Manhattan Project in 1942. In this interview, Cowan discusses the Soviet atomic program and their effort to build a nuclear bomb. In 1949, he helped convince U.S. government officials that the radiochemistry of air samples taken from the atmosphere proved that the Soviets had detonated their own atomic bomb, rather than what many assumed was just a peaceful nuclear reactor problem. Cowan also discusses Operation Crossroads, where he helped take air samples during atomic tests at Eniwetok Atoll in 1946.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/george-cowans-interview-1993

George Cowan's Interview (1993)

Hans Bethe was a German-American physicist who was head of the Theoretical Division at Los Alamos. He played an important role in the development of the hydrogen fusion bomb, working alongside Edward Teller. In this interview, Bethe discusses espionage and Soviet spying during the Manhattan Project, explaining the impact Soviet spies including Harry Gold and Klaus Fuchs had on the USSR's nuclear program. He and Rhodes discuss FBI security concerns of anyone with a European background, including Bethe and Teller. He also discusses the Soviet hydrogen bomb project, and explains his role in the post-war development of the hydrogen bomb in America.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/hans-bethes-interview-1993

Hans Bethe's Interview (1993)

Raemer Schreiber worked at Los Alamos on the Manhattan Project and after the war developing the hydrogen bomb and the Rover nuclear rocket program. In 1945, Schreiber was transferred to the Gadget Division and was a member of the pit assembly team for the Trinity Test, watching the explosion from base camp. He flew to Tinian Island with two plutonium hemispheres and helped assemble the Fat Man bomb used on Nagasaki. He witnessed the 1946 radiation accident that killed Louis Slotin, but was allowed to leave Los Alamos after being examined to go to Eniwetok for the Bikini test. He recalls the challenges that went into designing the hydrogen bomb, as well as the personalities of various scientists including Edward Teller and Norris Bradbury.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/raemer-schreibers-interview-1993

Raemer Schreiber's Interview (1993)

In this interview, General Groves discusses his relationship with some of the famous scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project, including J. Robert Oppenheimer, Harold Urey, Vannevar Bush, James B. Conant, and Ernest O. Lawrence. Groves also discusses the Chevalier incident and how Oppenheimer’s affiliation with the Communist party raised suspicions among fellow scientists of his motivations.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/general-leslie-grovess-interview-part-6

General Leslie Groves's Interview - Part 6

In this interview, General Groves discusses the start of the Manhattan Project. He remembers the troubles he had working with Leo Szilard and Eugene Wigner and the importance of redundancy in designing the bomb and plants like the T-Plant. He recounts how the Project came about in the first place, and the early discussions about how to proceed with uranium enrichment, plutonium production, and bomb development.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/general-leslie-grovess-interview-part-1

General Leslie Groves's Interview - Part 1

In this interview, General Groves talks about his upbringing, his extended family and genealogy, and life with his siblings and parents. He discusses his early childhood, including living at Vancouver Barracks, and his father's time in the Army. He explains his family's influence on his life and career.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/general-leslie-grovess-interview-part-2

General Leslie Groves's Interview - Part 2

Veronica Taylor of the Nez Perce tribe explains the significance of the Columbia River to her people.

For the transcript: http://www.atomicheritage.org/tour-stop/native-americans-remember

Why The Columbia River Matters

Leona Woods Marshall explains how the Manhattan Project scientists feared that Nazi Germany might develop the bomb first.

For the transcript: http://www.atomicheritage.org/tour-stop/reflecting-bomb

Very Frightening Time

Leona Woods Marshall had no regrets about her participation in the Manhattan Project.

For the transcript: http://www.atomicheritage.org/tour-stop/reflecting-bomb

No Regrets

The Wanapum Indian tribe wanted to continue to fish and perform other traditional activities on the site. Colonel Franklin Matthias explained to the Wanapum Chief why passes were required for the Hanford reservation.

For the transcript: http://www.atomicheritage.org/tour-stop/native-americans-remember

Making A Deal With The Tribes

Nobel Prize-winning physicist John A. Wheeler remembers feeling like Columbus as he explored the United States for a plutonium production site.

For the transcript: http://www.atomicheritage.org/tour-stop/adventures-columbia

A Sense Of Adventure

In less than three years, the Manhattan Project created 5,600 inventions and generated 2,100 secretly filed patent applications. The extent of this legacy is described by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor David Kaiser. 

For the transcript: http://www.atomicheritage.org/tour-stop/crucible-innovation

A Crucible For Innovation

A collection of remembrances of Manhattan Project physicist Enrico Fermi, narrated by the late Chicago radio host Jay Andres. The audio recordings are drawn from the archives of the Argonne National Laboratory, the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and the American Institute of Physics. In Part I, Fermi’s close friend and colleague Emilio Segrè describes Fermi's scientific discoveries, motivations, and personality in detail. Fermi’s wife, Laura Capon Fermi, also offers some of her recollections of life with her husband and his decision to come to the United States. The narrator discusses Fermi's childhood and genius.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/fermi-love-part-1

To Fermi With Love - Part 1

Laura Fermi discusses the family's decision to leave Italy in 1938 in the wake of the government's support for anti-Semitic laws. The program describes Enrico winning the Nobel Prize for Physics. Herb Anderson, Fermi's associate at Columbia University in New York, remembers Fermi's arrival to the city and move to Chicago to work in the Chicago Met Lab. Fermi explains how scientists agreed to keep the Manhattan Project secret. The interviewees also recall working on the Chicago Pile-1. Anderson, George Weil, and others also describe Fermi’s most distinctive qualities: his energy, willingness to collaborate, and informal approach.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/fermi-love-part-2

To Fermi With Love - Part 2

Bob Caron served as the tail gunner on the Enola Gay under the command of Colonel Paul Tibbets. He witnessed the bombing of Hiroshima, capturing photographs of the destruction. In this interview with radio host Ross Simpson, he describes the immensity of the weapon and his memories of the flight over Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. Caron recounts a conversation with Colonel Tibbets in which Caron deduced that the crew intended to drop an atomic weapon, before any official announcement was made. He also discusses the aftermath of the bomb and the responses he has received from both service members and civilians.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/bob-carons-interview

Bob Caron's Interview

In this 1962 radio interview, Robert Lewis, Richard Nelson, Charles Sweeney, and Abe Spitzer discuss their experience as members of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing missions. Lewis was a captain in the 509th Composite Group and was the co-pilot of the Enola Gay on the day of the Hiroshima mission. Nelson was the radio operator of the Enola Gay on the day of the Hiroshima mission. Charles Sweeney was the pilot of the Great Artiste on the Hiroshima mission and the pilot of the Bockscar on the Nagasaki mission. Abe Spitzer was the radar operator on the Great Artiste on the Hiroshima mission and the radar operator on the Bockscar on the Nagasaki mission. All four men describe their feelings after the bomb was dropped and address whether or not those feelings have changed.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/atomic-bombers

The Atomic Bombers - 1962

This broadcast is a dramatic retelling of the Hiroshima mission and the trials the 509th Composite Group faced in the lead up to that mission. The broadcast includes a speech by Colonel Paul Tibbets and a reading of a letter written by Enola Gay co-pilot, Robert Lewis.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/hiroshima-mission

The Hiroshima Mission

In this lecture at Johns Hopkins University, Jacob Beser talks about his early career in the Air Corps in World War II, as well as how he was recruited to the 509th Composite Air Group. He discusses his personal feelings on the morality of the bombs, as well as the situation that lead President Truman to decide to use the atomic bombs. Beser also answers questions on Los Alamos, the targets for the atomic bombings and the idea of dropping a bomb as a warning to the Japanese government. He discusses the Hiroshima and Nagasaki missions and his feelings after the fact. Beser also touches on the Japanese-American internment during World War II, which he considers to be one of the largest blots on American democracy. 

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/jacob-besers-lecture

Jacob Beser's Lecture at Johns Hopkins University

Herb Depke’s father was training for the invasion of Japan when the atomic bombs were dropped.

For the transcript: http://www.atomicheritage.org/tour-stop/reflecting-bomb

Atomic Bomb Saved My Dad

Hans Bethe was a German-American physicist and Nobel Prize winner who was head of the Theoretical Division at Los Alamos. He played an important role in the development of the hydrogen fusion bomb. In this interview, Bethe discusses the decision to develop the H-bomb in a starkly different context compared to the A-bomb. He recalls the debate over MIRV, the rise of the nuclear race, and missed opportunities to promote nuclear nonproliferation, including the Cuban Missile Crisis and Bernard Baruch's plan.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/hans-bethes-interview-1982-part-1

Hans Bethe's Interview (1982) - Part 1

Haakon Chevalier was a French literature professor at Berkeley and close friend of J. Robert Oppenheimer. In this interview, Chevalier discusses aspects of Oppenheimer’s personal life, including his romantic relationships and family, hobbies including Sanskrit, and religious views. He recalls how Oppenheimer became involved in politics on the Berkeley campus. He also discusses who was present for his infamous conversation with Oppenheimer, in which Chevalier told Oppie he knew a way to pass scientific secrets to the Soviets. This conversation played a key role in Oppenheimer's security trial in 1954.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/haakon-chevaliers-interview-part-1

Haakon Chevalier's Interview - Part 1

Joseph Rotblat was a British-naturalized Polish physicist, 1995 Nobel Peace Prize winner, and founder of the Pugwash Conferences. Rotblat and his friend James Chadwick, discoverer of the neutron, conducted early research on the atomic bomb in England, and both joined the British Mission at Los Alamos working on the Manhattan Project. Rotblat left the Manhattan Project on grounds of conscience in late 1944 when it became clear Germany was not close to developing an atomic bomb—the only scientist to leave the project for moral reasons. In this interview, he discusses his personal and professional relationships with J. Robert Oppenheimer, Niels Bohr, and the Chadwick family. He also provides insight into the intense security measures in place at Los Alamos, as well as the nature of British involvement at the site. Perhaps most intriguing is Roblat’s discussion of his decision to leave Los Alamos, spurred on by his growing concern that the nuclear weapons being created were also meant for the Soviet Union, and his anxiety over a postwar arms race. In a lighter vein, Rotblat also recalls his work as a technical advisor on the 1980 miniseries “Oppenheimer.”

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/joseph-rotblats-interview

Joseph Rotblat's Interview

Stanislaus Ulam was a Polish-American mathematician. He worked on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos and later helped design the hydrogen bomb. In this interview, he discusses his work at Los Alamos and his relationship with J. Robert Oppenheimer, Hans Bethe, John von Neumann, Enrico Fermi, and other scientists. He also discusses Oppenheimer’s varied reputation within the physics community. In particular, Ulam was frustrated by Oppenheimer’s wordiness, which he and some other scientists perceived as pompous and superfluous. Ulam also explains his thoughts on creativity in math and physics, and why he is a proponent of nuclear power.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/stanislaus-ulams-interview-1979

Stanislaus Ulam's Interview

Haakon Chevalier was a French literature professor, author, and close friend of J. Robert Oppenheimer beginning at Berkeley in 1937. In this interview, Chevalier discusses aspects of Oppenheimer’s personal life, including his romantic relationships, hobbies, and religious views. He explains his own involvement in the Communist Party and Oppenheimer’s work on left-wing issues, and gives his thoughts on Oppenheimer’s security trial in 1954. Chevalier recalls first meeting Kitty Oppenheimer, and remembers her as a warm and friendly woman.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/haakon-chevaliers-interview-part-2

Haakon Chevalier's Interview - Part 2

Verna Hobson worked as a secretary to J. Robert Oppenheimer during his time as director of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton. Her tenure as secretary coincided with Oppenheimer's security hearing by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). In this interview, she discusses the impact of Oppenheimer’s AEC hearing on his life at the Institute. She expresses frustration with the strategy adopted by his legal term, which she felt was far too lax. Hobson recalls how Oppenheimer navigated the often heated internal politics at the Institute, and his relations with the Institute’s professors and fellows including Albert Einstein, Oswald Veblen, and André Weil. She also gives her account of Oppenheimer’s distinctly poetic writing style.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/verna-hobsons-interview-part-2

Verna Hobson's Interview - Part 2

Joe Holt worked on construction for DuPont in Hanford, Washington after transferring from Indiana in 1943. He joined a massive force of men who worked around the clock to complete the Hanford facilities. He later took on a position in maintenance and became a permanent resident of the area. In this interview, Holt describes his time with the DuPont Company and the men they brought in to complete the Hanford site. He recalls the challenging weather and the working conditions at Hanford.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/joe-holts-interview

Joe Holt's Interview

In this interview, Roger Fulling discusses the various positions he held at DuPont during and after the war. He recalls a special request from the Australian government for smokeless powder that DuPont had to fulfill, as well as outlining the structure and history of the DuPont Company. He explains the other wartime work of the DuPont Company and how DuPont had to balance its Manhattan Project work with its other military contracts.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/roger-fullings-interview-1986-part-3

Roger Fulling's Interview (1986) - Part 3

Roger Fulling was the Division Superintendent of Construction at DuPont during the Manhattan Project, which meant that he coordinated and expedited the construction projects at Hanford and Oak Ridge. He was also the main liaison with General Leslie R. Groves on the Hanford construction project. In this interview, Fulling discusses DuPont’s procurement issues and the support of American industry for the Manhattan Project. He also recalls visiting Hanford and the early days of working with General Groves. He explains the fate of Hanford's orchards and farms after the Manhattan Project requisitioned the land, and his sadness at witnessing the orchards fall into ruin.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/roger-fullings-interview-1985

Roger Fulling's Interview (1985)

Louis Hempelmann was J. Robert Oppenheimer’s physician and close friend. In this interview, he discusses the hierarchy at Los Alamos, what it was like to work with Kitty Oppenheimer, and Kitty and Robert’s relationship. He recalls his interactions with Oppie, Enrico and Laura Fermi, and Edward Teller, and the parties that Oppenheimer and others used to throw at Los Alamos. Hempelmann remembers driving to Trinity Site with George Kistiakowsky and the high explosives—on Friday the 13th.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/louis-hempelmanns-interview-part-3

Louis Hempelmann's Interview - Part 3

John Manley was a nuclear physicist who worked for the Manhattan Project from its early days. After the war, Manley served as the Executive Secretary of the General Advisory Committee (GAC) of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), and later also became Associate Director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. In this interview, Manley discusses how he came into these positions and reflects upon the relationship of the GAC and the AEC. He recalls Oppenheimer’s relationship with others on the GAC, including James B. Conant, and Oppenheimer’s leadership on the GAC.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/john-manleys-interview-1985-part-1

John Manley's Interview (1985) - Part 1

Louis Hemplemann worked as a doctor at Los Alamos during the Manhattan Project and was close friends with J. Robert Oppenheimer. In this interview, he discusses the other doctors at Los Alamos and their roles, including his own occasional role as anesthetist. He recalls visiting the Radium Dial laboratory in Boston to observe how the company protected its workers from radiation, and how they adopted similar practices at Los Alamos.

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/louis-hempelmanns-interview-part-4

Louis Hempelmann's Interview - Part 4

John Manley was a nuclear physicist who worked for the Manhattan Project from its early days. In this interview with Martin Sherwin, Manley recalls being impressed by George Kennan and Omar Bradley’s testimony before the Atomic Energy Commission. He also discusses the contributions to the project and personalities of General Kenneth Nichols, General Leslie Groves, and Peer de Silva. He also explains the founding of Los Alamos and and reflects on Oppenheimer’s transition into the “great administrator.”

For the interview transcript: http://manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/john-manleys-interview-1985-part-2

John Manley's Interview (1985) - Part 2

Victor Kumin was a young scientist when he was drafted to the U.S. Army in 1944. In September of that year, he was transferred to Los Alamos. Here he was part of the Special Engineer Detachment (SED). 

In this interview Kumin discusses his time as a Chemistry student at Harvard, and his transition to joining the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos. He then explains the secrecy of the project, and how he felt about the decision to use the atomic bombs, and his involvement with the project.

For the full transcript please visit: https://www.manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/victor-kumins-interview

Victor Kumin's Interview

John Adams is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer of contemporary classical music. Known for his operas Nixon in China and The Death of Klinghoffer, as well as for multiple orchestral works, Adams speaks here about Doctor Atomic, his 2005 opera set at Los Alamos in the weeks leading up to the Trinity Test. He describes the creation of the work and why he was initially hesitant to develop an opera around J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project. He discusses its unusual libretto, which uses only words actually spoken or written by the people depicted in the opera, such as J. Robert Oppenheimer, General Leslie Groves, Leo Szilard, and Edward Teller.

John Adams' Lecture

Raymond Sheline was a chemist at Columbia University and a member of the Special Engineer Detachment at Oak Ridge and Los Alamos. After graduating from college in 1942, Sheline received a telegram from Harold Urey inviting him to join the Manhattan Project at Columbia. His group at the university focused on resolving problems caused by corrosion during the gaseous diffusion process. After being drafted into the Army, Sheline was sent to Oak Ridge and Los Alamos as a member of the Special Engineer Detachment. At Los Alamos, he contributed to work on the trigger for the plutonium bomb.

In this interview, Sheline discusses his early life and educational background. He describes memories from growing up in Ohio and from his time studying Chemistry at Bethany College. He also explains his time in the U.S. Army and how he came to work with the SED. Sheline then recalls how he met his wife Yvonne. Lastly, Sheline discusses his life after earning his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley, including: briefly working in Germany, working at the University of Chicago, how his career began with Florida State University, and his time spent researching in Copenhagen.

Raymond Sheline's Interview (2009)

George Warren Reed (1920-2015) was a chemist at the Chicago Met Lab during World War II. He primarily researched fission yields of uranium and thorium to determine their viability for a nuclear chain reaction. Reed was one of the few African American scientists to work on the Manhattan Project. In this interview, Reed talks with his son Mark Morrison-Reed about family life, sabbatical, the riots after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., work on the Manhattan Project, retirement, and his positions at Fermilab and Argonne National Laboratory.

For the transcript, please visit: https://www.manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/george-warren-reed-2006

George Warren Reed's Interview (2006)

The Atomic Heritage Foundation (AHF), founded by Cynthia Kelly in 2002, is a nonprofit organization in Washington, DC, dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the Manhattan Project and the Atomic Age and its legacy.
 
The Foundation's goal is to provide the public not only a better understanding of the past but also a basis for addressing scientific, technical, political, social and ethical issues of the 21st century. AHF works with Congress, the Department of Energy, National Park Service, state and local governments, nonprofit organizations and the former Manhattan Project communities to preserve and interpret historic sites and develop useful and accessible educational materials for veterans, teachers, and the general public. 

For more, visit our websites: www.atomicheritage.org and www.manhattanprojectvoices.org

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