Who was Oppenheimer and what did he do: The true story behind Christopher Nolan’s movie
The IndependentSign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. She later committed suicide in 1944. open image in gallery Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, left, and Cillian Murphy as J Robert Oppenheimer The Manhattan Project In 1941, two months before the United States entered World War II, President Franklin D Roosevelt approved a programme to develop an atomic bomb. open image in gallery A scene from ‘Oppenheimer’ The security hearing After the project’s success, Oppenheimer continued to act as a nuclear weapons consultant for the US government; however, he warned against their devastating capabilities. The New York Times wrote in his obituary: “This bafflingly complex man nonetheless never fully succeeded in dispelling doubts about his conduct.” Attempts were later made to repair Oppenheimer’s image – in 1963, President Lyndon B Johnson presented Oppenheimer with the Enrico Fermi Award, the AEC’s highest honour. In his piece for The NYT, Bird wrote: “It is my hope that Christopher Nolan’s stunning new film on Oppenheimer’s complicated legacy will initiate a national conversation not only about our existential relationship to weapons of mass destruction, but also the need in our society for scientists as public intellectuals.”