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I watched “Oppenheimer: The Real Story” by accident. This is a documentary on physicist Robert Oppenheimer. This is not the 2023 film “Oppenheimer” starring Cillian Murphy. It took me a few minutes to realize I was watching the wrong movie but it was still interesting so I stuck with it.

“Oppenheimer: The Real Story” is worth the watch. It’s about the scientist that lead the research on developing the nuclear weapons that were dropped on Japan and ended WWII. I highly recommend this film. Robert Oppenheimer played a pivotal role in recent American history but I never heard the name Oppenheimer until the movie “Oppenheimer” debuted last year.

Robert Oppenheimer was born to a well to do family in New York City in 1904. He was very bright but socially awkward. Robert received the best education money could buy. His studies included Harvard and Cambridge. Oppenheimer also taught at prestigious universities including UC Berkeley. He was later recruited to work in the dessert southwestern United States to lead the Manhattan Project which conducted research on nuclear weapons.

After the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended WWII there was conflict between president Truman and Oppenheimer. Truman wanted Oppenheimer to continue his research on nuclear weapons to remain competitive with the Soviet Union. Oppenheimer had concerns about continuing the research and some guilty feelings about the suffering that his bombs caused in Japan.

Oppenheimer was removed from his assignment as a lead and managing scientist. It amounted to a matter of workplace politics and back stabbing. He was outcast from the scientific community and lost his government security clearance.

“Oppenheimer: The Real Story” is a great documentary and I learned something new. The subject matter is very interesting especially as a Gen Xer that remembers Cold War politics. I plan on watching the award winning film “Oppenheimer” in the future.