The Manhattan Project | Secret Cities | 2

American History Tellers

Wondery

Society & Culture, Kids & Family, History, Education For Kids

4.7 • 18.3K Ratings

🗓️ 17 January 2024

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In Spring of 1943, hundreds of scientists and technicians moved to a remote location in the mountains of New Mexico to work at a secret laboratory. Under the guidance of their leader, J. Robert Oppenheimer, they rushed to figure out how to channel the power of an atomic chain reaction to create a bomb. Meanwhile, secret plants in Tennessee and Washington sprung up overnight to produce the uranium and plutonium that would fuel the weapon.

But the leaders of the Manhattan Project faced another challenge: how to keep such a sprawling enterprise hidden from enemies and prevent the designs from falling into the wrong hands.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Imagine it's April 15th,
0:13.4	1943 in the mountains 25 miles northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
0:18.2	You're a scientist specializing in the purification and production of metallic
0:22.2	substances. Late afternoon sun, cast a in the
0:23.0	late afternoon sun casts a golden glow on the mountains in the distance,
0:27.0	but it's hard to appreciate the natural beauty
0:30.0	when construction crews are hammering at such a frantic pace all around you.
0:34.2	You've been recruited to move here and take part in a top secret project.
0:38.0	All you've been told is that it will help the United States win the war.
0:41.8	Today though you've been summoned to a meeting where hopefully
0:43.7	you'll learn more. You turn the corner and climb up the front steps of a three-story
0:48.4	timber building. As you step through the front door, creating the meeting
0:52.2	attendees is someone you recognize.
0:54.0	Dr. Serber, is that you?
0:57.0	Robert Serber is the physicist who recruited you for this assignment.
1:02.0	He's tall and thin wearing glasses. He looks to be in his
1:05.8	30s. He reaches out to shake your hand. How's your family liking your new home?
1:10.1	Well, it's certainly cozy. Might be tricky to give our two-year-old a bath when we don't have a tub,
1:15.0	but I'm sure we'll figure something out.
1:17.0	Dr. Serber, though, may I ask, where is my laboratory going to be?
1:21.0	That's a fair question. When they finished building it,
1:23.8	it'll be about half mile south of here in the technical area.
	...

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