For what reason did Lewis Strauss hate Oppenheimer? Atomic Feud Clearly Described
Though Oppenheimer shows many facets of the life of the eminent physicist, from his relationships and Los Alamos to his ties to Communism and later political activity, there is one essential element of the film that drives it from the start to the finish: the conflict between Lewis Strauss and J. Robert Oppenheimer. Although this rivalry could be overdramatized for the benefit of the movie, the truth is that this tense relationship actually did exist in real life and had significant effects on both sides. Ten years after they began their conflict, Strauss and Oppenheimer's strife still caused damage.
Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer's Strauss/Oppenheimer conflict is kind of a B-plot that gets ever more pertinent as the movie runs on. Cillian Murphy represents J. Robert Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer's cast; Robert Downy Jr. plays Lewis Strauss. The movie claims that the two meet at Princeton and loathe each other right away. Then, a conflict shortly afterward simply fuels their animosity. Later in his life, Lewis Strauss then deliberately targets Oppenheimer using the strong AEC hearing. near last, near the end of Oppenheimer, Strauss's animosity of Oppenheimer keeps him from landing a prominent post.
Explained Early Working Relationship of Lewis Strauss & Oppenheimer
Two years after Oppenheimer developed the Atomic Bomb, two years after the bomb had been deployed to demolish Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which controversally wasn't featured in Oppenheimer, the competition between Strauss and Oppenheimer started in 1947. By then Oppenheimer's participation in the Manhattan Project had made him a national hero and a significant effect on nuclear power and national security. Lewis Strauss, a trustee of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, offered Oppenheimer the chance to run the institute given his popularity. Notably, Strauss had also been under consideration for the post; Oppenheimer defeated him.
This made Strauss instantly hate Oppenheimer, but their different political views also had influence. While Oppenheimer had more liberal opinions and Communist links, Strauss was a hardy Republican. Moreover, about several choices on Nuclear Policy, the two disagreed as well. Oppenheimer thought in total transparency about the nuclear weapons of the United States and opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb. Strauss, meantime, backed the hydrogen bomb and the creation of thermonuclear weapons and believed that openness would only harm the United States.
The Feud Begun of Strauss & Oppenheimer in 1947 resulted from the AEC
An argument in 1947 aggravated Strauss and Oppenheimer's conflict later that same year. Apart from their employment at Princeton, they were both members of the General Advisory Committee (GAC) comprising eminent atomic scientists. Under the direction of the AEC, Oppenheimer presided over the group. Strauss was overwhelmed by Oppenheimer and the committee during a debate over the safety of moving radioisotopes for medical use. Strauss so harbored resentment toward Oppenheimer and the other scientists for their opinions, while Oppenheimer and others looked down upon Strauss.
Significance Events in Oppenheimer & Strauss's Feud
Day | Event
—| —
1947 | Oppenheimer replaces Strauss with another Director of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton.
1947 | Oppenheimer dominates Strauss in an AEC debate on the safety of radioisotope transportation
1949 | Oppenheimer humiliates and challenges Strauss during a public heating session for the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy.
1954 | AEC hearing with Oppenheimer
1959 | The Senate turns down Strauss's Secretary of Commerce bid.
1967 | Oppenheimer dies
1974 | Strauss passes
Oppenheimer humbled Lewis Strauss in 1949
Two years after the guys had met in 1949, Lewis Strauss and J. Robert Oppenheimer reached their ultimate tipping point. Before the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, Oppenheimer was invited to address a public hearing on the radioisotope problem as Strauss and the GAC still couldn agree on a solution. Because of how the GAC had turned him down in 1947, Strauss arranged this hearing in an interesting prediction for subsequent events between Strauss and Oppenheimer. The hearing finally brought Strauss's extreme humiliation.
Oppenheimer responded, "My own rating of the importance of isotopes in this broad sense is that they are far less important than electronic devices but far more important than, let us say, vitamins, somewhere in between." Regarding the significance of exporting radioisotopes At the public hearing, Oppenheimer's clever observation that radioisotopes are not as harmful as Strauss claimed them to be made Strauss look like a fool. Strauss so never forgived Oppenheimer and sought to discredit him permanently. The term "vitamins" in the preceding quotation is modified in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer to "sandwich." This probably was done to make the comment seem even more contemptuous of Strauss.
Strauss Said To Have Personal Vendettas Against Oppenheimer For His Behavior
Though Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer doesn't specifically address this, Strauss had additional reasons for despising J. Robert Oppenheimer that transcended their face-to--face strife. Strauss particularly objected to Oppenheimer for his choices and way of life. Despite strong anti-semitism, Strauss took great satisfaction in his Jewish background and his ability to climb the U.S. government hierarchy. Considering his accomplishment in his area, he first looked down on Oppenheimer for not being more outspoken about his Jewish ancestry. Moreover, Oscar-winning Robert Downey Jr.'s character Strauss in Oppenheimer hated him for his adultery against his wife.
The Hatred of Strauss Inspired Oppenheimer's Security Hearing
Lewis Strauss finally exacted retribution against Oppenheimer. Early in the 1950s, Strauss monitored Oppenheimer using his AEC chairman post. Inquiring about Oppenheimer's travels in search of disloyalty—including illegal phone tapping—he urged the FBI director J. Edgar Hoover to investigate. An allegedly Soviet spy letter was sent to the FBI in 1953 claiming Oppenheimer was Oppenheimer was so obliged to go through an AEC hearing in 1954, which deprived him of Security Clearance. Strauss did everything he could to make Oppenheimer's defense ineffective, so fully controlling the hearing.
Lewis Strauss's Feud with Oppenheimer Affected His Career
Strauss effectively removed Oppenheimer's access to government atomic work, but his resentment of Oppenheimer finally backfired. Strauss entered the running in 1958 to be the Secretary of Commerce. Although Strauss could have been reappointed as the chairman of the AEC, the Oppenheimer issue made him unpopular among scientists. As it happened, though, this unpopularity also permeated the U.S. government. Apart from other dishonest behavior, Strauss's manipulation of Oppenheimer's AEC hearing was discovered; hence, Strauss's cabinet appointment failed. Given the long history behind this courtroom scene, which is among the most dramatic in the R-rated film Oppenheimer, it is for good reason.
Regret Hating Oppenheimer, did Lewis Strauss?
It is unknown if Lewis Strauss regretted his contempt of J. Robert Oppenheimer almost eighty years after their first meeting. On one side, Strauss might have felt sorrow after his hate interfered with his ability to land the Secretary of Commerce job. After that fiasco, he might have discovered peace and regrets. Still, Strauss most likely stayed disliking of Oppenheimer till the very last. Although Oppenheimer presents a dramatic and neat picture of Strauss and Oppenheimer's friendship, actual life was probably far more messy. In this way, Strauss probably never forgave and never forgot.
What Happened to Lewis Strauss After Oppenheimer's 1954 Security Hearing
After Oppenheimer's 1954 AEC hearing, Strauss failed to become the Secretary of Commerce due to his manipulation of the security hearing and growing resentment towards him among others in the government. It was only the eighteenth time in U.S. history that the Senate refused a Cabinet appointee. So, Strauss retired from government and resigned to a quiet life on his farm (the Brandy Rock Farm in Brandy Station, Virginia). About ten years after the events of Oppenheimer, Strauss died at the age of lymphosarcoma on January 21, 1974, at the age of 77, while Oppenheimer died seven years earlier.
Oppenheimer: A Look Back at the Manhattan Project
Oppenheimer is a film by Christopher Nolan, which follows the theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man behind the Atomic Bomb. Cillian Murphy will play the titular role, with the story based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.
The film explores the complex legacy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a man hailed as the "father of the atomic bomb." The movie delves into the historical context of the Manhattan Project, the scientific and political challenges involved in developing the first atomic weapon, and the moral implications of Oppenheimer's creation. Oppenheimer's life and work are a fascinating study of the interplay between scientific brilliance, personal ambition, and the consequences of extraordinary discoveries.
