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Yesterday’s Witness in America:
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INTERVIEWS

Beverly Agnew
Harold Agnew
Ethel Ballen
Samuel L. Ballen
Shirley Barnett
Hans Bethe
Rose Bethe
Hugh Bradner
Marjorie Bradner
Kathleen D. Church
Ellen P. Conant
Theodore R. Conant
Becky Bradford Diven
Ben Diven
Priscilla Greene Duffield
Bill E. Hudgins
Elaine Kistiakowsky
Betty Lilienthal
Anne Wilson Marks
Kevin McKibbin
Emily Morrison
Philip Morrison
Peter Oppenheimer
Ellen Bradbury Reid
James Scarritt
Marguerite Schreiber
Sharon Snyder
Ralph C. Sparks
Edward Teller
Françoise Ulam
Jane Wilson
Nancy Meem Wirth

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Mark Twain once wrote that “the only difference between fiction and nonfiction is that fiction should be completely believable.” I am indebted to countless people for helping me to document the incredible story of Los Alamos and to recapture the unbelievable optimism, loyalty, and dedication of the men and women who put their lives on hold and followed Robert Oppenheimer to that isolated mountaintop in New Mexico. I am most grateful to Kevin McKibbin for sharing with me his memories of his mother and their adventures on the Hill, and for kindly granting me access to her unpublished biography, letters, and photographs. His guided tour of the plaza and 109 East Palace, and detailed descriptions of Bandelier Monument, Los Alamos, and old Santa Fe, evoked the magical colors, sounds, and smells of New Mexico. I would also like to thank Robert Oppenheimer’s son, Peter, for taking the time to talk to me and help fill in some personal details of his father’s life.

It is impossible to acknowledge adequately the help I received from Robert Oppenheimer’s three wartime secretaries, who generously provided their personal stories, recollections, and photographs, and patiently fielded my repeated calls and hundreds of questions. Priscilla Greene Duffield, Shirley Barnett, and Anne Wilson Marks are among the most astute and witty observers of people and events it has ever been my privilege to encounter. They brought the contradictions and complex relationships of Los Alamos to life—the altitude and awful mud, the exhilarating company and insidious shadow of security, and the endlessly intriguing and seductive leader who made it all possible, Robert Oppenheimer. Without them this book would not have been possible.

I would like to express my gratitude to the following for giving generously of their time and, in many cases, their hospitality: Beverly and Harold Agnew, Ethel and Samuel Ballen, Rose and Hans Bethe, Marjorie and Hugh Bradner, Becky and Ben Diven, Bill E. Hudgins, Elaine Kistiakowsky, Betty Lilienthal, Emily and Philip Morrison, James Scarritt, Marguerite Schreiber, Ralph C. Sparks, Françoise Ulam, and Jane Wilson. Only a few months before he passed away, the late Edward Teller, who was blind and bound to a wheelchair, was gracious enough to grant me an audience. Although we disagreed about many things, I will never forget his passion for science or his pain at the memory of his “falling out with Oppie.”

For access to the Los Alamos photographs, records, and related material, and their assistance over many years, I would like to thank Roger Meade and Linda Sandoval at the Los Alamos National Laboratory archive and Rebecca Collinsworth at the Los Alamos Historical Museum.

In the writing of this book, I am greatly indebted to Kristine Dahl, my literary agent, who has been of inestimable help as a sounding board and critic from the beginning, and to Barbara Kantrowitz, my friend and fellow writer, for her insight into this world and comments on the work in progress. I also benefited enormously from my continued collaboration with Ruth Tenenbaum, whose research skills and ingenuity greatly facilitated the long and arduous process of combing through archives for relevant material, unearthing forgotten interviews and misplaced documents, and tracking down the most obscure facts.

Too many friends offered encouragement and assistance along the way to name here, but the following were especially helpful: Marilyn Berger, Don Hewitt, Toni Goodale, Peter Jennings, and Linda Sylvester. Cavelle Sukhai is the miracle in my family’s life that makes everything work. Above all, I would like to thank Perri Peltz for her unstinting enthusiasm and support. She was my champion on the first book and on this one, and I can hardly express my gratitude.

I must single out Alice Mayhew, my extraordinary editor, who immediately understood and embraced the idea of my writing about wartime Los Alamos and offered invaluable suggestions and guidance. Her wisdom, eye for detail, and concern for accuracy are reflected in these pages. At Simon & Schuster, I must also acknowledge the care and attention of Roger Labrie.

I deeply appreciate the assistance of my parents, Ellen and Theodore Conant, who loaned family books and papers, provided information, and confirmed past conversations with my grandfather, James B. Conant, and his feelings about many of the people and incidents in this book.

And finally, for their love and unfailing support, I owe a very special thanks to my husband, Steve Kroft, and son, John. They were forgiving of my absent-mindedness, impaired domestic skills, and prolonged monopolization of the dining room table. I adore them both, and am forever grateful.

PHOTO CREDITS

AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Segrè Collection: 16

Photograph by Ken Bainbridge, courtesy AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Bainbridge Collection

Photograph by John P. Miller, courtesy AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Segrè Collection

Photograph by Emilio Segrè, AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Segrè Collection

Courtesy Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas

Courtesy Laura Gilpin Collection, Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas

Shirley Barnett

Children of the Manhattan Project (www.childrenofthemanhattanproject.org)

Patricia Duffield

Los Alamos National Laboratory Archives

Alexander Lowry, Los Alamos National Laboratory Archives

Time-Life Pictures/Getty Images

Courtesy of Hagley Museum and Library

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JENNET CONANT
is the author of
The New York Times
bestseller
Tuxedo Park: A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret Palace of Science That Changed the Course of World War II
. A former journalist, she has written profiles for
Vanity Fair, Esquire, GQ, Newsweek
, and
The New York Times
. She lives in New York City and Sag Harbor, New York.

Dorothy with her husband, Joseph McKibbin, and baby, Kevin, shortly after his birth on December 6, 1930. Before Kevin was a year old, Joe McKibbin died of Hodgkin’s disease. In spring 1932, the young widow packed up her belongings and baby and moved to Santa Fe, where she built a rustic adobe farmhouse.