“Oppenheimer” is notable among biopics for portraying real people doing the things they did at the time. Oppenheimer was Groves’ second choice, but he turned to Lawrence for assurance that Oppenheimer could effectively run the bomb lab. Lawrence sealed the deal for his friend by promising Groves that if Oppenheimer failed in his task, he would take it over himself. A committee of four physicists — Oppenheimer, Lawrence, Compton and Fermi — was tasked with the options, which included staging a demonstration at an uninhabited Pacific island to show Japanese officials what they faced if they didn’t surrender. The tragic message of Oppenheimer and “Oppenheimer” is that humankind has lived under a nuclear sword of Damocles ever since.

Source: Los Angeles Times July 31, 2023 21:39 UTC