J. Robert Oppenheimer Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More StarsUnfolded

• Allegations of Being Involved With The Communist Party USA
In 1954, Oppenheimer was subjected to a trial to determine whether his security clearance should be revoked or not. As per sources, before joining Project Manhattan in 1942, Oppenheimer had already attracted the attention of the US authorities due to his association with the Communist Party USA and its members. Additionally, his close family members, including his wife, brother, and in-laws, were also affiliated with the party. Subsequently, it came to light that the FBI had placed his house and office under surveillance.

• Claims of Shielding An Espionage Attempt
According to the FBI, in early 1943, Haakon Chevalier, a French Literature professor and a friend of Oppenheimer's at the University of California, approached Oppenheimer and had a brief conversation with him in the kitchen of his house. During this talk, Chevalier informed Oppenheimer about George Eltenton's alleged actions, suggesting that Eltenton might be sharing technical information with the Soviet Union. The FBI also claimed that Oppenheimer did not promptly report the incident to the authorities. When questioned by the FBI in 1946, Oppenheimer provided inconsistent statements and tried to protect his friend Haakon by mentioning various names.

• Allegations of Sharing Critical Information With The Soviet Union
After William Liscam Borden, the former executive director of the United States Congress Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, wrote a letter to the FBI director J. Edgar Hoover on 7 November 1953, alleging that Oppenheimer was involved with a Soviet intelligence unit and had shared vital information with Soviet agents in the US, suspicions escalated. Despite the US government's disbelief in Borden's claims, President Eisenhower instructed the FBI to conduct an investigation. On 21 December 1953, the government put a stop to Oppenheimer's "Q Clearance," which he had obtained during his tenure as the director of the Los Alamos Lab. Despite discussing the possibility of terminating his consultant contract with the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) with Lewis Strauss, Oppenheimer decided not to resign and instead chose to seek a court trial to prove his innocence. On 23 December 1953, Maj. Gen. Kenneth Nichols, who served as the general manager of the AEC, wrote a letter to Oppenheimer detailing allegations that suggested he posed a security risk.

• Charges Against Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer encountered dual charges. The initial charges alleged that he had affiliations with communists during the early phases of World War II and had given inconsistent statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The second set of charges revolved around his opposition to the development of the hydrogen bomb in 1949, and his continued efforts to lobby against it, even after President Harry S. Truman had authorized its development to proceed.

• Beginning of The Trial
The trial of Oppenheimer commenced on 12 April 1954, overseen by a panel of three judges. It centered on 24 accusations, primarily focusing on his associations with Communist and leftist groups between 1938 and 1946, as well as his deliberate and false reporting of the Chevalier incident to authorities. The last accusation pertained to his opposition to the hydrogen bomb's creation. A considerable part of the proceedings concentrated on Oppenheimer's involvement in recruiting former students affiliated with the Communist Party to work at Los Alamos, particularly Ross Lomanitz and Joseph Weinberg. There were investigations regarding his relationship with Jean, whom FBI agents observed him with even after he got married. Oppenheimer denied sharing any sensitive information about Project Manhattan with her, claiming that his interest in her was purely romantic. The court inquired about inconsistencies in his statements concerning his friend Chevalier. In response, Lieutenant General Lesley Groves, the head of Project Manhattan, testified that Oppenheimer's hesitation to report Chevalier was due to a mindset similar to that of an American schoolboy, where he felt it would be wrong to betray a friend. Groves explained that Oppenheimer's crucial role in the American war effort during World War II protected him from facing any disciplinary action in the 1940s. During the trial, numerous prominent figures, including scientists like Fermi, Albert Einstein, Isidor Isaac Rabi, Hans Bethe, and government officials and military personnel such as John J. McCloy, James B. Conant, and Bush, as well as two former AEC chairmen and three former commissioners, provided testimony in support of Oppenheimer. Lansdale, who had been involved in investigating Oppenheimer during the war, also testified on his behalf, describing him as "loyal and discreet" and denying his affiliation with Communism.

• Judgement
On 27 May 1954, the panel of 3 judges reached the conclusion that 20 out of the 24 charges against Oppenheimer were either partially or entirely true. As a result, they recommended the withdrawal of the "Q Clearance" granted to him by the United States government in the 1940s, effectively ending Oppenheimer's role as a nuclear scientist associated with the US government. The findings indicated that while he opposed the development of the H-bomb and his lack of enthusiasm influenced others, he did not actively discourage their work on it, contrary to Nichols' letter's claims. The panel also found no evidence to support the accusation that he was a formal member of the Communist Party, considering him a loyal citizen instead. The panel acknowledged Oppenheimer's ability to keep crucial information confidential but noted that he was susceptible to being influenced or coerced during a specific period. His association with Chevalier was considered unacceptable under the security protocols for someone with access to highly classified information, indicating a significant lack of respect for security regulations. Furthermore, they observed that his vulnerability to influence posed potential risks to national security interests. Evans, a member of the panel of judges, supported the restoring Oppenheimer's security clearance. He emphasized that the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) had already cleared Oppenheimer of the majority of charges outlined in Nichol's letter. Evans contended that denying clearance solely based on past decisions would be unsuitable in a country that values freedom, particularly when considering that Oppenheimer now posed a lower security risk. Furthermore, he maintained that Oppenheimer's association with Chevalier did not suggest disloyalty and that he did not impede the development of the H-bomb.

• Repercussions of The Trials
Following the beginning of the legal proceedings involving Oppenheimer and the subsequent revocation of his security clearance, the scientists who worked with him on Project Manhattan composed a letter directed to the AEC. In the letter, they expressed their endorsement of Oppenheimer while also expressing their discontentment with the actions taken by the AEC.

• Nichol's Letter to The AEC
In May 1954, although his name was cleared, the AEC decided not to restore his security clearance. On 12 June 1954, Kenneth D. Nichols wrote a letter to the AEC, cautioning them against reinstating his clearance. He expressed reservations about Oppenheimer's trustworthiness due to his links with Communism, even though he was not a member of any political party. Nichols also criticized Oppenheimer's behavior, describing it as "hindrance and disregard for security," which showed a persistent disregard for a reasonable security system.

• The 2022 Reversal
On 16 December 2022, Jennifer Granholm, the Secretary of Energy of the United States, announced that the 1954 ruling was rendered invalid due to a faulty procedure. She further expressed her support for Oppenheimer, affirming his loyalty, and argued that his security clearance should have been restored once he was found not guilty by the court.

Note: Oppenheimer began a romantic relationship with Jean Frances in 1936. Their romantic involvement allegedly continued even after Robert married Kitty. In a letter addressed to Major General Kenneth D. Nichols, who was the General Manager of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, Robert stated that he had asked Jean to marry him twice, but she rejected his proposals. He also mentioned that they seldom met during their courtship. They broke up after dating for a couple of years. In his letter, he claimed,

"In the spring of 1936, I had been introduced by friends to Jean Tatlock, the daughter of a noted professor of English at the university; and in the autumn, I began to court her, and we grew close to each other. We were at least twice close enough to marriage to think of ourselves as engaged. Between 1939 and her death in 1944 I saw her very rarely."

In August 1939, he met Katherine "Kitty" Oppenheimer and subsequently initiated a romantic relationship with her. They remained together until their marriage in 1940. After concluding his role as the director of Los Alamos Laboratory, he allegedly engaged in an extramarital affair with Ruth Tolman, the wife of his friend Richard Tolman.

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