MANHATTAN PROJECT LETTER
AIRED: Season 5, Episode 12
THE DETECTIVE: Wes Cowan
THE PLACE: New York City
THE CASE:
A contributor New York City has a scrapbook of typed and handwritten documents connected with the top-secret Manhattan Project, which developed the United States’ first nuclear bombs during World War II.
The most intriguing item is a letter dated just after the war. It’s a plea for reduced secrecy regarding nuclear affairs in the scientific community once hostilities had ended.
Did the scientists’ letter help persuade President Harry S. Truman to change policy in the post war era?
History Detectives tracks down the authors of the documents, and explores the delicate balance between science, military power and democracy.
Feature: The Manhattan Project Letter
View pages from the Preliminary Statement of the Association of Manhattan District Scientists, which emphasizes the need to control atomic weaponry and acknowledge its consequences.
Detective Journal
Wes reflects on a frightening time in our nation's history.
More Leads
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
View a slideshow of select documents from the Manhattan Project Archive.
View featured documents related to the Manhattan Project.
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