On August 2nd 1939, just before the beginning of World War II, Albert Einstein wrote to then President, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Einstein and several other scientists told Roosevelt of efforts in Nazi Germany to purify U-235 with which might in turn be used to build an atomic bomb. It was shortly there after that the United States Government began the serious undertaking known only as the Manhattan Project. Simply put, the Manhattan Project was committed to expedient research and production that would produce a viable atomic bomb.
Over the course of six years, ranging from 1939 to 1945 more than 2 billion were spent on the Manhattan Project. A Massive enrichment laboratory/plant was constructed at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The formulas for enriching and putting together the working bomb were created and seen to their logical end by some of the greatest minds of our times. Among these people who unleashed atomic power was Robert J. Oppenheimer.
Oppenheimer was the major force behind the Manhattan Project. He literally ran the show and saw to it that all of the great minds working on the project made their brainstorms work. He oversaw the entire project from conception to its completion.
Finally the day came when all at Los Alamos would find out whether or not The Gadget (code-named as such during its development) was either going to be the colossal dud of the century or perhaps end the war. It all came down to that fateful morning of midsummer, 1945.
