Trapped in politics: Should Dr Oppenheimer have been blacklisted for what he did?

Julius Robert Oppenheimer, the 'Father of the Atomic Bomb', introduced quantum physics to the US and put the nation ahead in the race to become a world power by shepherding the development of the first Atomic Bomb. 

Dr Oppenheimer remained a crucial figure in the 1940s as he was the one who changed the course of the world's history by helping end World War II. 

He was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Physics three times - in 1946, in 1951 and in 1967, but never won it. For some, it was hard to believe why the man who brought the civilisation into the 'Atomic Age' didn't win the pinnacle of global recognition — a prize 18 of his Los Alamos colleagues won. 

Many would say that Oppenheimer's name should be written in golden letters in the history books, but there's also a section that would argue that his name should be part of the darkest chapters of history. 

But even so, what happened to Oppenheimer and his family in the aftermath of the testing of the Atomic Bomb and subsequent bombings in Japan shouldn't have happened. 

With the world premiere of Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, once again the physicist's name has become the centre of attention as the world discusses World War II, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, and the moral compass of the world we live in. 

Also read: Oppenheimer review: Nolan's visually stunning epic fuses genius and guilt 

Development of atomic bomb: The team called it "The Manhattan Project". They were secretly working on developing the weapon at the Los Alamos Laboratory and the test was on July 16 — just a few days before the bombings in Japan. 

The team of scientists and engineers carried out the test at the Trinity test site in Alamogordo, New Mexico, as they watched the first successful atomic bomb explosion from a safe distance but felt the soundwaves. 

It was a moment of immense pride for the scientists working on the project, and for the nation. Briefly, they remained oblivious to the fact they have created a monster — a tool of mass destruction. 

But they were shaken by reality and their consciences were jolted when horrifying details started to emerge from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the two Japanese cities bombed by America. 

The US dropped two bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and August 9, 1945 respectively, wiping out around 90 per cent of the cities and killing around 129,000 and 226,000 people, including those who died as a result of radiation exposure. Japan surrendered a few days after the second attack, thereby ending the war. 

The death toll spoke volumes about what was done... the victims of the atomic bombing were either dead or unable to speak in the aftermath of thermal flash burns. Some of the survivors later revealed what they faced — a truth which still haunts the world and probably was haunting Oppenheimer as well. 

Oppenheimer, portrayed by Cillian Murphy in the movie, went into a sense of guilt and contemplation of his actions. In order to avoid such catastrophe in the future, he visited then-president Harry S Truman in late October. Truman had given the greenlight for the use of both bombs. 

Also read: Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer has both colour and black-and-white scenes for this reason 

Oppenheimer spoke with him about establishing international control on the possession and usage of nuclear weapons, but he was dismissed by Truman. 

History books have revealed, and as vividly shown in Nolan's movie, Oppenheimer began working with the US Atomic Energy Commission to control the use of nuclear weapons. 

He even opposed the commission about creating a hydrogen bomb when Truman approached him in 1949. Oppenheimer believed that the H-bomb, according to him a weapon of mass genocide, was worse than the atomic bomb. 

Despite his efforts, the US developed an H-bomb and tested it in 1952, led by Edward Teller who is portrayed by Benny Safdie in Nolan's masterpiece. 

The test of the hydrogen bomb gained the US an unassailable lead in the race of becoming a powerful economy, but Oppenheimer gained a little from this. 

He lost many things because he resisted the development of the H-bomb. He was stripped of his job with the commission during the Communist-hunting McCarthy era and there were arguments over the threat to national security and his unproven Communist ties. 

His connection with Communist friends was seen as a bigger reason for his blacklisting, instead of his opinion on the Hydrogen bomb. 

Watch: Oppenheimer opens with a bang in Kashmir 

The movie has shown how one of the greatest physicists in the world was remorseful about the devastating result of his creation, which makes me wonder whether the world should blame swordsmiths for all the deaths on the ancient battlefields. 

I believe that Oppenheimer met a fate he shouldn't have. 

The book on which the movie is based- the Pulitzer-winning American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin- tells a lot about the life of Oppenheimer. 

As quoted by USA TODAY, Bird said Oppenheimer "became a pariah; he couldn't give presidents advice or walk the halls of the Pentagon. He was even disinvited to lecture at universities. He was devastated." 

Christopher Nolan's cinematic brilliance perfectly captures what Oppenheimer must have felt years after the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. 

Today's era is not the era of war — as said by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Peace must be reached through diplomatic channels but arsenals of the major nations are filled with a range of weapons of mass destruction including atomic and hydrogen bombs. 

When war has become the new normal, and so has the threat of nuclear war... it will be interesting to see what this generation, the ones who watched the movie, feels about Oppenheimer and his creation, the destroyer of worlds. 

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.) 

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