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J. Robert Oppenheimer
[1904-1967]
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“There must be no barriers to freedom of inquiry. There is no place for dogma in science. — J. Robert Oppenheimer
“Both the man of science and the man of action live always
at the edge of mystery, surrounded by it.”
The scientist is free, and must be free to ask any question, to doubt any assertion,
to seek for any evidence, to correct any errors.”
B I O
t e x t
h e r e
Julius Robert Oppenheimer studied at Harvard, Cambridge & Göttingen universities, then worked with Ernest O. Lawrence at U.C. Berkeley, together founding American theoretical physics. From 1943-45, Oppenheimer was scientific director of the top-secret Manhattan Project in Los Alamos, New Mexico. For twenty feverish months, the team at Los Alamos designed and produced the nuclear weapons that ended World War II, earning Oppenheimer the nickname 'father of the atomic bomb'. His later outspoken opinions led to removal from government jobs and the loss of his security clearance in 1954, and to investigation by the House Un-American Activities Committee (under Sen. Joseph McCarthy).
President of the American Physical Society in 1948
J. Robert Oppenheimer entry at Wikipedia
J. Robert Oppenheimer credits [1949-2010] at Internet Movie Database
Writings of J. Robert Oppenheimer
browse books by Robert Oppenheimer at Amazon
"Science and The Common Understanding" [Simon and Schuster, 1954]
http://www.amazon.com/Science-Common-Understanding-J-robert-oppenheimer/dp/0671636014/
"The Open Mind: Atomic Weapons and The Relationship Between Science & Culture"
[New York: Simon and Schuster, 1955]
http://www.amazon.com/Open-Mind-Oppenheimer-J-Robert/dp/B001E22074/
http://www.amazon.com/open-mind-lectures-Robert-Oppenheimer/dp/B0006AU8II
http://www.amazon.com/Open-Mind-J-Robert-Oppenheimer/dp/1124009531/
"The Constitution of Matter" [1956]
http://www.amazon.com/Constitution-Matter-Robert-Oppenheimer/dp/B000O2P9GY/
"The Flying Trapeze: Three Crises For Physicists" [Oxford Univ Press, 1964]
http://www.amazon.com/Flying-Trapeze-Three-Crises-Physicists/dp/B000LZDUKQ/
 | "Robert Oppenheimer: Letters & Recollections" [1980] Edited by Alice Kimball Smith & Charles Weiner Letters written by Oppenheimer, 1922-1945; recollections of others about Oppenheimer; and the transcript of an interview, circa 1965 Stanford Univ Press 9x6 pb [8/95] for $17.13 Harvard Univ Press hardcover [5/80] for $39.49 |
"Uncommon Sense" [Birkhäuser Boston, 1984]
http://www.amazon.com/Uncommon-Sense-J-Robert-Oppenheimer/dp/0817631658/
"Atom and Void: Essays On Science & Community" [Princeton Univ Press, 1989]
http://www.amazon.com/Atom-Void-Science-Community-Princeton/dp/0691085471/
Books About J. Robert Oppenheimer
browse books about Robert Oppenheimer at Amazon
"J. Robert Oppenheimer and The Atomic Story" [1962] by J. Alvin Kugelmass
http://www.amazon.com/J-Robert-Oppenheimer-Atomic-Story/dp/B0019DG8DU/
http://www.amazon.com/J-ROBERT-OPPENHEIMER-ATOMIC-STORY/dp/B000JPKLEG/
"Robert Oppenheimer: The man & His Theories" [1965] by Michel Rouze
http://www.amazon.com/ROBERT-OPPENHEIMER-MAN-HIS-THEORIES/dp/B000N6OD18/
"Oppenheimer: The Story of A Friendship" [1965] by Haakon Chevalier
http://www.amazon.com/Oppenheimer-Friendship-Robert-Chevalier-Haakon/dp/B001JJQD9S/
"Lawrence and Oppenheimer" [Simon and Schuster, 1968] by Nuel Pharr Davis
http://www.amazon.com/Lawrence-Oppenheimer-Robert-Davis-Pharr/dp/B000K5OKSI/
"Oppenheimer: Illustrated" [1969]
Essays by I.I. Rabi, Robert Serber, Victor F. Weisskopf, Abraham Pais & Glenn T. Seaborg
Scribner 9½x6 hardcover [1/69] out of print/used
"The Swift Years: The Robert Oppenheimer Story" [Dodd Mead, 1969]
by Peter Michelmore ISBN 0-396-06024-2
"The Advisors: Oppenheimer, Teller & The Superbomb" [Stanford Univ Press, 1976] by Herbert York
http://www.amazon.com/Advisors-Oppenheimer-Superbomb-Stanford-Nuclear/dp/0804717133/
 | "J. Robert Oppenheimer: Shatterer of Worlds" [1981] by Peter J. Goodchild Houghton Mifflin pb [5/81] out of print/used Fromm Intl 9½x7¼ pb [9/85] out of print/used Houghton Mifflin hardcover [5/85] out of print/used |
"Oppenheimer and The Atomic Bomb" [1989] by Rebecca Larsen
http://www.amazon.com/Oppenheimer-Atomic-Bomb-Rebecca-Larsen/dp/0531106071/
"Atomic Dawn: A Biography of Robert Oppenheimer" [1989] by John E. Driemen
http://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Dawn-Biography-Robert-Oppenheimer/dp/0875183972/
"Robert Oppenheimer: Dark Prince" [Facts On File, 1992]
by Jack Rummel ISBN 0-8160-2598-3
 | "Critical Assembly: A Technical History of Los Alamos During The Oppenheimer Years, 1943-1945" [1993] by Lillian Hoddeson, Paul W. Henriksen, Roger A. Meade & Catherine L. Westfall Cambridge Univ Press 9x6 pb [2/2004] for $53.95 Cambridge Univ Press 8¾x6 hardcover [5/93] for $160.00 |
"Oppenheimer and The Bomb" [1998] by Paul Strathern
http://www.amazon.com/Oppenheimer-Bomb-Paul-Strathern/dp/009923792X/
 | "Robert Oppenheimer, 1904-1967" [1999] by Robert F. Bacher Los Alamos Historical Society 9¼x6 pb [12/99] for $10.00 |
 | "In the Shadow of The Bomb: Oppenheimer, Bethe & The Moral Responsibility of The Scientist" [2000] by Silvan S. Schweber Princeton Univ Press 9½x6½ pb [4/2000] for $34.15 |
"Fallout" graphic novel about Szilard & Oppenmheimer [2001] by Jim Ottaviani
http://www.amazon.com/Fallout-Jim-Ottaviani/dp/0966010639/
"Robert Oppenheimer" [Mass pb Jun 20, 2002] by Michel Rival /202053438X/
"In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer: The Security Clearance Hearing" [Cornell Univ, 2002]
Edited by Richard Polenberg ISBN 0-8014-3783-0 978-0801486616
http://www.amazon.com/Matter-Robert-Oppenheim-Mermaid-Dramabook/dp/0809012154/
http://www.amazon.com/Matter-Robert-Oppenheimer-Clearance-Paperbacks/dp/0801437830/
http://www.amazon.com/Matter-J-Robert-Oppenheimer-Self-Defense/dp/0275944298/
http://www.amazon.com/Matter-J-Robert-Oppenheimer-Documents/dp/B000IWWON6/
 | "Brotherhood of The Bomb: The Tangled Lives & Loyalties of Robert Oppenheimer, Ernest Lawrence & Edward Teller" [2002] by Gregg Herken Owl Books pb [9/2003] for $10.88 Henry Holt 9½x6½ hardcover [9/2002] out of print/used |
 | "Oppenheimer: Portrait of An Enigma" [2004] by Jeremy Bernstein Ivan R. Dee 8c5¼ pb [8/2005] for $10.17 Ivan R. Dee 8¾x5¾ hardcover [4/2004] for $16.50 |
 | "J. Robert Oppenheimer and The American Century" [2004] by David C. Cassidy Pi Press 9¼x6½ hardcover [8/2004] for $18.45 |
"The Teflon Scientist: An Unorthodox View of The Oppenheimer Case" [2004] by Stanley Bowes
http://www.amazon.com/Teflon-Scientist-Unorthodox-View-Oppenheimer/dp/1413442455/
"Reappraising Oppenheimer: Centennial Studies & Reflections" [Univ of CA, 2005]
by Cathryn Carson ISBN 0-9672617-3-2
http://www.amazon.com/Reappraising-Oppenheimer-Centennial-Studies-Reflections/dp/0967261732/
"Giants of Science: J. Robert Oppenheimer" [2005] by Toney Allman
http://www.amazon.com/Giants-Science-J-Robert-Oppenheimer/dp/1567118895/
"Oppenheimer and The Manhattan Project: Insights Into J. Robert Oppenheimer, Father of The Atomic Bomb"
[2005] by Cynthia C. Kelly
http://www.amazon.com/Oppenheimer-Manhattan-Project-Insights-Robert/dp/981256599X/
 | "American Prometheus: The Triumph & Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer" [2005] by Kai Bird & Martin J. Sherwin winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Biography Vintage 8x5¼ pb [4/2006] for $11.67 Knopf 9½x6½ hardcover [4/2005] for $23.10 |
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"109 East Palace: Robert Oppenheimer & The Secret City of Los Alamos" [2005] by Jennet Conant S&S 8½x5½ pb [5/2006] for $10.78 S&S 9½x6½ hardcover [4/2005] for $16.98 Audioworks ABR audio CD [4/2005] for $18.87 Audioworks ABR audio [4/2005] for $17.16 |
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"The Ruin of J. Robert Oppenheimer & The Birth of The Modern Arms Race" [2005] by Priscilla J. McMillan Penguin pb [3/2006] for $10.40 Viking 9¼x6½ hardcover [7/2005] for $16.35 |
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"J. Robert Oppenheimer: A Life" [2006] by Abraham Pais, with Robert P. Crease Oxford Univ Press hardcover [4/2006] for $18.90 |
"Oppenheimer: The Tragic Intellect" [Univ Chicago Press, 2006] ISBN 0-226-79845-3 by Charles Thorpe
http://www.amazon.com/Oppenheimer-Tragic-Intellect-Charles-Thorpe/dp/0226798453/
"J. Robert Oppenheimer: The Brain Behind The Bomb" (Inventors Who Changed the World)
[2007] by Glenn Scherer & Marty Fletcher
http://www.amazon.com/J-Robert-Oppenheimer-Inventors-Changed/dp/1598450506/
"Oppenheimer Is Watching Me" [Univ of Iowa Press, 2007] Jeff Porter ISBN 1-58729-616-0
http://www.amazon.com/Oppenheimer-Watching-Me-Memoir-Sightline/dp/1587296160/
"U.F.O. Secrecy and The Fall of J. Robert Oppenheimer" [Sep 24, 2008]
by Donald R. & Mollie L. Burleson
http://www.amazon.com/UFO-Secrecy-Fall-Robert-Oppenheimer/dp/0964958066/
"The Redemption of Oppenheimer" [Oct 21, 2008] by Robert Montagnese new: $14.49
http://www.amazon.com/Redemption-Oppenheimer-Robert-Montagnese/dp/1438915152/
"A Life In Twilight: The Final Years of J. Robert Oppenheimer" [Nov 11, 2008] by Mark Wolverton
http://www.amazon.com/Life-Twilight-Final-Robert-Oppenheimer/dp/0312374402/
 | "Einstein and Oppenheimer: The Meaning of Genius" [2008] by Silvan S. Schweber Harvard Univ Press 9x6¼ hardcover [4/2008] for $19.77 |
 | "J. Robert Oppenheimer, The Cold War & The Atomic West" [2009] by Jon Hunner Univ OK Press 8½x5¾ hardcover [10/2009] for $17.96 |
 | "An Atomic Love Story: The Extraordinary Women In Robert Oppenheimer’s Life" [2013] by Shirley Streshinsky & Patricia Klaus well-researched limited biography featuring Oppenheimer's relationships with Jean Tatlock, wife Kitty Harrison Oppenheimer, and married Ruth Sherman Tolman Kindle Edition from Turner Publng [9/2013] for $9.99 Turner Publng 9¼x6¼ hardcover [9/2013] for $20.17 |
Fiction About J. Robert Oppenheimer
 | "Oh Pure and Radiant Heart" [2005 novel] by Lydia Millet A shy librarian in Santa Fe, New Mexico discovers that three atomic scientists watching the Trinity Test in 1945 – Robert Oppenheimer, Leo Szilard & Enrico Fermi – have transported sixty years into the future, where they must re-examine their legacy. Harvest 7¾x5¼ pb [7/2006] for $10.20 Soft Skull Press 9½x6½ hardcover [6/2005] for $19.00 publisher bookpage • author website |
Stageplays, and Motion Pictures & Videos
J. Robert Oppenheimer credits [1949-2010] at Internet Movie Database
see more Atomic Cinema
(B.B.C. & I.T.V. documentaries, dramatizations, animated films, etc.) at
Spirit of America's Atomic Film Festival Page
® ®
 | "In der Sache J. Robert Oppenheimer" ("In The Matter of ...") [1964 stageplay] by Heinar Kipphardt of Germany Oppenheimer was angry about the play and threatened to sue Kipphardt. "The whole damn thing [his security hearing] was a farce, and these people are trying to make a tragedy out of it." • stageplay entry at German Wikipedia Hill & Wang 8x5 pb playscript [1998] for $14.00 Hill & Wang 8¼x5¾ hardcover [1968] out of print/used Rowohlt Taschenbuch German-language edition pb [1998] out of print/used |
"In der Sache J. Robert Oppenheimer" [German TV Jan 1964]
Directed by Gerhard Klingenberg; written by Heinar Kipphardt; credits at IMDb
"In der Sache J. Robert Oppenheimer" remake [German TV 1981]
Directed by Dieter Giesing; written by Heinar Kipphardt; credits at IMDb
® ®
"The Oppenheimer Affair: A Political Play In Three Acts" [1968]
by Joseph Boskin
Glencoe Press pb [1968] out of print/used
 | "Oppenheimer: Father of The Atomic Bomb" TV mini-series [B.B.C./WGBH-TV U.K. Oct 1980, USA May 1982] 7-episode color TV mini-series about the American physicist who led the top-secret 'Manhattan Project' to develop the atomic bomb during World War II. After the bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki, he suffers increasing ambivalence about the effect of his life's work, which leads to suspicion as a security risk during the McCarthy 'red scare' oppression of the 1950s. Directed by Barry Davis; written by Peter Prince' narrated by John Carson; starring Sam Waterston {as Oppenheimer}, Jana Shelden, David Suchet, Manning Redwood, Christopher Muncke, Edward Hardwicke, Matthew Guinnes, Bob Sherman, John Morton, Garrick Hagon & Peter Marinker; won 3 BAFTA Awards B.B.C. Warner widescreen color DVD [8/00] 3 disks for $21.99 full credits at IMDb |
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"The Day After Trinity" documentary feature [1981] Produced & co-written by Janet Peoples, co-written & directed by Jon Else; nominated for Best Documentary Oscar, won A.C.E. & Peabody Awards Image Ent. color DVD [5/2002] for $21.99 Pyramid Home Video color VHS [8/91] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb |
"The Love Song of J Robert Oppenheimer" [2004 stageplay] by Carson Kreitzer
2009 performance at Custom Made Theatre Company in San Francisco, CA
2009 rehearsal video from performance at Le Chat Noir in Augusta, GA
2009 performance at Mother Road Theatre Company in Albuquerque, NM
Dramatists Publng hardcover playscript [1/2006] out of print/used
 | "Hiroshima: 60th Anniversary" DVD Box Set [History Channel 2005]
Five 50-minute episodes from diverse History Channel series: "Hiroshima: The Decision To Drop The Bomb" {IMDb}; "Tech Effect: Hiroshima" {IMDb}; "J. Robert Oppenheimer: Father of The Atomic Bomb" {IMDb}; "Man, Moment, Machine: Oppenheimer & The Atomic Bomb" {IMDb}; and "Modern Marvels: The Manhattan Project" {IMDb} A&E 4-hour-plus DVD set [undated] 2 disks - out of prodn/used |
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"Doctor Atomic: The Opera" [San Francisco Opera Oct 2005]
Focuses on Robert Oppenheimer, his wife Kitty, and Gen. Leslie Groves before and after the Trinity bomb test in 1945. Music by John Adams, libretto by Peter Sellars that quotes from declassified historical documents as well as the Bhagavad Gita, songs of the Tewa Indians, and poetry of Charles Baudelaire, John Donne & Muriel Rukeyser. Premiered in San Francisco in October 2005; restaged for Netherlands TV in June 2007. Directed by Peter Sellars, starring Gerald Finley, Kristine Jepson or Jessica Rivera & Eric Owens Opus Arte widescreen color Blu-ray [3/2009] for $26.99 Opus Arte widescreen color DVD [9/2008] for $39.99 Nonesuch symphony CD [7/2009] for $13.99 full credits at IMDb • entry at Wikipedia • official opera site |
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"Wonders Are Many: The Making of Doctor Atomic" [ITVS May 2008] 92-minute documentary tracing a 'dazzling double-helix trajectory': one thread follows composer John Adams and director Peter Sellars; the second thread recounts the actual historical events. Directed by Jon Else Docurama color DVD [2/2009] for $24.49 full credits at IMDb |
 | "American Experience: The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer" [P.B.S. airdate 26 Jan 2009] 2-hour combination of archive footage, interviews and dramatization Co-produced, written & directed by David Grubin; narrated by Campbell Scott, starring David Strathairn (as J. Robert Oppenheimer} P.B.S. Home Video color DVD [3/2009] for $22.49 full credits at IMDb • official movie site |
brother Frank Oppenheimer [1912-85]
entry at Wikipedia
 | "Something Incredibly Wonderful Happens: Frank Oppenheimer and The World He Made Up" [2009] by K.C. Cole Mariner Books pb [9/2010] price not defined - sign up to be notified Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 9x6 hardcover [8/2009] for $17.82 |
L i n k s
J. Robert Oppenheimer entry at Wikipedia
J. Robert Oppenheimer credits [1949-2010] at Internet Movie Database
listed #48 on Atlantic Monthly's "100 Most Influential Americans" (12/2006)
Oppenheimer article on the Los Alamos National Laboratory website
Oppenheimer Centennial Exhibit [2004] at U.C. Berkeley
The Oppenheimer House in Los Alamos, NM
Spirit of America Bookstore's Los Alamos, NM & The Manhattan Project Page
Spirit of America Bookstore's Atomic U.S.A. Page
J. Robert Oppenheimer [1904-67] Page at Spirit of America Bookstore
top of page • short profile • writings • books about J. Robert Oppenheimer • other media • links
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