The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer | American Experience

American Experience The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer

The man behind the atomic bomb is put on trial for suspected communist ties in 1954. Details

Program: American Experience

Episode: The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer

In the Spring of 1954, the U.S. government put J. Robert Oppenheimer, the country's preeminent atomic scientist and the man behind the atomic bomb, on trial for national loyalty. The setting was a hearing to determine the status of Opppenheimer's security clearance, but the drama that unfolded was a parade of all the fears of a paranoid Cold War government desperate not to be outgunned.

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atomic bomb , Cold War , World War II , manhattan project , los alamos , hiroshima , atomic energy commission , communist