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The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean

Manhattan Project Propaganda

The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean

Sam Kean

History, Arts, Books, Science

4.01.3K Ratings

🗓️ 28 April 2026

⏱️ 19 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Smyth Report is the strangest book ever written on atomic bombs—as well as highly effective science propaganda, warping our view of everything from the Manhattan Project to Robert Oppenheimer.



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Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:07.4

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dot com. Gofundme.com. This message reflects one person's experience.

1:00.5

One day in June 1945, publisher Datus Smith got a call in his office at Princeton University

1:06.8

Press. On the line was Henry DeWolf Smyth, a theoretical physicist at Princeton.

1:12.6

Smyth had some questions about the press's plans that summer. Usually, instead of allowing

1:17.9

workers to take vacations whenever, the press shut down their whole operation for two weeks and

1:22.9

made everyone take leave at once. The physicist Smyth asked the publisher Smith whether they plan to do

1:28.9

that again that summer. The publisher said, yes, why? Smyth said, because the government needs to print

1:36.4

5,000 copies of something. The publisher asked, oh, copies of what? Smith said, I can't tell you,

1:43.8

it's top secret. Which confused the publisher.

1:47.7

They needed 5,000 copies of a top secret document. The physicist chuckled. Yes, this information is

1:55.7

top secret now, but in August it will be the headline story in every newspaper in the world.

2:01.8

The publisher was baffled. What on earth was Smythe talking about?

2:07.6

Today, it is easy to guess what, the atomic bomb.

2:11.8

The scientist Smyth had authored a book-length report on atomic bombs for public release

...

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