American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer

Content Warning: This section discusses death by suicide.

Oppenheimer’s decision not to resign precipitated “an extraordinary American inquisition” (487). The charges against him included only one item not previously reviewed: his opposition to the superbomb. Oppenheimer chose attorney Lloyd K. Garrison, a direct descendant of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, to represent him along with Marks. Since normal evidentiary rules did not apply, however, Oppenheimer’s attorneys were unable to see all the evidence against him, much of which remained classified. Strauss chose Roger Robb to lead the prosecution and Gordon Gray to chair the three-man review board. Joining Gray on the review board were Thomas Morgan and Dr. Ward Evans. Strauss regarded all three board members as reliably conservative, certain to be shocked by what they discovered in Oppenheimer’s file. Oppenheimer appeared determined but also serene and vaguely fatalistic about his prospects. Kitty wanted to fight harder. In Princeton, Einstein encouraged Oppenheimer to spare himself the ordeal and refused to lend legitimacy to what Einstein and others viewed as a witch hunt. On March 5, 1954, Oppenheimer submitted a 42-page written response to the charges against him.