The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean
Manhattan Project Propaganda
April 28, 202617 min · 3,730 words
Show notes
The Smyth Report is the strangest book ever written on atomic bombs—as well as highly effective science propaganda, warping our view of everything from the Manhattan Project to Robert Oppenheimer. Advertising Inquiries: Privacy & Opt-Out:
Highlighted moments
Paradoxically, trying to keep something secret sometimes draws attention to it. So later, Groves hit upon a different tactic. If he handed reporters information up front, they would be happy. They would file their stories and forget about things.
“He didn't want Smythe to lie, but he did want him to shade the truth in misleading ways.”
“In comparison, Los Alamos's budget was a piddly $75 million, just 4% of the total.”
“The key concepts for making an atomic bomb are atomic fission and a chain reaction. Both of those ideas had been published in Europe before World War II even started. So Smythe could pretend he was revealing some big important secret. E equals mc squared and all. When in reality, he was giving nothing away.”
Transcript
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