Read complete books and articles on: J. Robert Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer, J. Robert - ŏpˈənhīˌmər, 1904–67, American physicist, b. New York City, grad. Harvard (B.A., 1925), Ph.D. Univ. of Göttingen, 1927. He taught at the Univ. of California and the California Institute of Technology from 1929 (as professor from 1936) until his appointment in 1947 as director of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, N.J. His early work was concerned with the quantum theory and nuclear physics. With Max Born he contributed to the quantum theory of molecules, and later (1930) he published an important paper on the nature of antiparticles, which had been predicted but not yet detected.

As director of the atomic-energy research project at Los Alamos, N.Mex., from 1942 to 1945, Oppenheimer made important contributions to the development of atomic energy for military purposes. After the atomic bomb was used against Japan, Oppenheimer became one of the foremost proponents of civilian and international control of atomic energy; he was chairman of the general advisory committee of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission from 1946 to 1952 and consultant to the American delegate to the UN Atomic Energy Committee. He strongly opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb in 1949 on both technical and moral grounds. In 1953, Oppenheimer was suspended by the Atomic Energy Commission as an alleged security risk, in part due to criticism from fellow scientist Edward Teller, who was instrumental in the development of the hydrogen bomb. Oppenheimer's case stirred wide controversy. In Oct., 1954, he was unanimously reelected director of the Institute for Advanced Study. In addition to his contributions as a theoretical physicist and an administrator, Oppenheimer achieved a reputation as one of the outstanding teachers of his generation; he left a lasting influence both at California and at Princeton. His book Science and the Common Understanding was published in 1954.

See I. I. Rabi et al., Oppenheimer (1969); J. Major, The Oppenheimer Hearing (1971); P. M. Stern and H. P. Green, The Oppenheimer Case (1971); P. Goodchild, J. Robert Oppenheimer: Shatterer of Worlds (1985); G. Herken, Brotherhood of the Bomb (2002).

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9 of the Best Books and Articles on: J. Robert Oppenheimer

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer: Politics, Rhetoric, and Self-Defense » Read Now
by Rachel L. Holloway. 123 pgs.

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In contrast to historical and political explanations of the Oppenheimer case, Rachel Holloway explores the role that rhetoric played in Oppenheimer's removal from government service. In doing so, the author draws attention to the symbolic nature of politics and character and highlights the...
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In contrast to historical and political explanations of the Oppenheimer case, Rachel Holloway explores the role that rhetoric played in Oppenheimer's removal from government service. In doing so, the author draws attention to the symbolic nature of politics and character and highlights the significant interaction of political and scientific terminologies in American discourse.
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2.

Conscience, Science and Security: The Case of Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer » Read Now
by Cushing Strout. 58 pgs.

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...Security: The Case of Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer Edited by CUSHING STROUT...HEARINGS IN THE MATTER OF J. ROBERT Oppenheimer" during the spring of 1954...drawn from, In the...
3.

Oppenheimer Investigated, in The Wilson Quarterly » Read Now
by Robert Erwin. 12 pgs.

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...when appointed head of the Los Alamos Laboratory, J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-67) became one of the more astute strategic...once again brought into question the reputation...
4.

Freedom and the University: The Responsibility of the University for the Maintenance of Freedom in the American Way of Life (includes "The Relation of Research to the Liberal University" by J. Robert Oppenheimer) » Read Now
by Edgar N. Johnson, Robert D. Calkins, Eugene V. Rostow, Joseph L. Lilienthal, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Edward C. Kirkland. 129 pgs.

Collections: Education, Entire Library

...Eugene V. Rostow Joseph L. Lilienthal Jr., M.D. J. Robert Oppenheimer Edward C. Kirkland Cornell University Press...Relation of Research to the Liberal University By J...
5.

The American Atom: A Documentary History of Nuclear Policies from the Discovery of Fission to the Present, 1939-1984 (includes "The Oppenheimer Case") » Read Now
by Robert C. Williams, Philip L. Cantelon. 333 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...appears to me full of dangers. J. Robert Oppenheimer to James Conant October...6. Letters of J. Robert Oppenheimer, 1942-45 26...Testimony in the Matter of J. Robert...
6.

Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership (Includes "J. Robert Oppenheimer: The Teaching of Physics, the Lessons of Politics") » Read Now
by Howard Gardner, Emma Laskin. 400 pgs.

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The man who revolutionized our understanding of intelligence and creativity in such books as Frames of Mind and Creating Minds now does the same for leadership. Illustrations.
7.

The Many Faces of Science: An Introduction to Scientists, Values, and Society (includes "Oppenheimer: Rise and Fall from Political Grace" in "Scientists and Nuclear Weapons") » Read Now
by Leslie Stevenson, Henry Byerly. 260 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library

...actually exhibited a better model of human behavior? J. Robert Oppenheimer argued optimistically that "of all intellectual...work is the most important thing in their...
8.

E=MC (includes information on J. Robert Oppenheimer in "America's Turn") » Read Now
by David Bodanis. 344 pgs.

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Generations have grown up knowing that the equation E=mc2 changed the shape of our world, but never understanding what it actually means, why it was so significant, and how it informs our daily lives today—governing, as it does, everything from the atomic bomb to a television’s cathode...
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Generations have grown up knowing that the equation E=mc2 changed the shape of our world, but never understanding what it actually means, why it was so significant, and how it informs our daily lives today—governing, as it does, everything from the atomic bomb to a television’s cathode ray tube to the carbon dating of prehistoric paintings. In this book, David Bodanis writes the “biography” of one of the greatest scientific discoveries in history—that the realms of energy and matter are inescapably linked—and, through his skill as a writer and teacher, he turns a seemingly impenetrable theory into a dramatic human achievement and an uncommonly good story.
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9.

Eisenhower & the Anti-Communist Crusade (includes information on J. Robert Oppenheimer in "Securing the Federal Work Force") » Read Now
by Jeff Broadwater. 298 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Jeff Broadwater provides a comprehensive survey of the Eisenhower administration's response to America's postwar Red Scare. He looks beyond Senator Joseph McCarthy's confrontations with Eisenhower to examine the administration's own anti-Communist crusade. Exploring the complex relationship between...
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Jeff Broadwater provides a comprehensive survey of the Eisenhower administration's response to America's postwar Red Scare. He looks beyond Senator Joseph McCarthy's confrontations with Eisenhower to examine the administration's own anti-Communist crusade. Exploring the complex relationship between partisan politics and cold war tensions, Broadwater demonstrates that virulent anticommunism, as well as opposition to it, often cut across party and ideological lines. He shows, moreover, that although McCarthy and his allies captured the headlines, ultimately it was the Eisenhower administration that bore responsibility for implementing most of the nation's anti-Communist policies. The book begins with an overview of the debate over internal security following World War II and then examines Eisenhower's record on the issue. Broadwater asserts that at the outset of the cold war, Eisenhower assumed a moderate stance, defending some of McCarthy's targets and cooperating as NATO commander with European Socialist leaders. Later, as a presidential candidate under pressure from Republican conservatives, he moved steadily toward the right. Once in the Oval Office, he embraced much of the anti-Communist agenda and shared many of the McCarthyites' fears about internal security, supporting, for example, the federal employee security program and the legal persecution of the Communist party. Broadwater concludes that while Eisenhower personally despised McCarthy and eventually presided over the end of the Red Scare, the president was also a committed anti-communist who frequently displayed little concern for American civil liberties.
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