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Book Review:
109 East Palace: Robert Oppenheimer and the Secret City of
Los Alamos
by
Kelly Williams
History 4000
Dr. Dan L. Morrill
June 9, 2008
109 East Palace: Robert Oppenheimer and the Secret City of Los Alamos,
by Jennet Conant, was published in 2005 by
Simon and Schuster revealing the lives of prominent persons living and
working at Los Alamos, the secret city located in New Mexico where the
atomic bomb was created and tested. Conant, a former journalist who
has written for such publications as The New York Times, Newsweek
and Vanity Fair, is also the author of several award winning books
including; Tuxedo Park: A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret Palace of
Science that Changed the Course of World War II. Perhaps the most
important factor in Jennet Conant’s interest and desire to write 109 East
Palace is her relation to James B. Conant, a key figure in the
development of the atomic bomb and the administrator over the entire
Manhattan Project; she is his granddaughter.
Conant, although closely tied to the events of Los Alamos, hoped that
through her book she could both reveal "the greatness and folly of Los
Alamos." (p. xvii.) Conant wrote 109 East Palace
not to reveal the scientific discoveries that took place in the small New
Mexico town called Los Alamos but to reveal the personal lives hidden behind
the secrecy of one of the greatest and most devastating scientific creations
of the 20th century.
Dorothy McKibbin, the gatekeeper for Los Alamos and secretary to J.
Robert Oppenhimer, would become the key individual whom Conant relied upon
to reveal the lives of these influential men and their families. To research
and create her book, Jennet Conant used manuscripts, interviews, and speeches
written and given by Dorothy McKibbin, as well as, published interviews and
newspaper articles about persons directly involved in Los Alamos. Conant’s
main purpose for writing this book is to reveal the richness and history of
Los Alamos, which she argues goes far deeper than the creation and testing
of the atomic bomb. The book centers on the figure of J. Robert Oppenheiemer,
the director of the laboratories at Los Alamos. Due to his charm and in part
due to his convictions, Oppenhimer compiled a group of world famous
scientist at Los Alamos; scientist who would create the atomic bomb. These
men, including Edward Teller, Isidor I. Rabi, Emilio Segre and Robert Serber,
and their families "banned together out of a sense of patriotism, not just
for America, but for Western civilization and for the ideals of humanity
they all embraced," (p. xvi) in hopes of protecting innocent persons
from the ravages and cruelties of World War II. In their efforts to create a
weapon that would end the Second World War, a community of persons was
created where the individuals lived, strived, developed friendships,
struggled and celebrated together.
109 East Palace: Robert Oppenheimer and the Secret City of Los Alamos
is a relatively long book, about four hundred pages, and a deeply personal
book that draws its readers into the intricate details of the lives of those
persons at Los Alamos; particularly Dorothy McKibbin, J. Robert Oppenheimer
and his wife Kitty. While Conant’s goal was to create a book that tells the
story of Los Alamos through the lives of those who lived and work there, her
attention to insignificant details makes the book at times feel more like a
tabloid than a historical narrative. This aspect of the book can be seen through her portrayal
of Oppenheimer’s irresistible charm, the long description of Dorothy
McKibbins lunch packing duties, and Conant’s overly emotional description of
the "sacredness" of the ground upon which Los Alamos was located. However,
Conant through her descriptive writing, does bring to life the personalities
and struggles of the prominent persons living at Los Alamos. This ability can be
seen in Conant’s description of the reaction of the Los Alamos community at
the successful testing of the bomb at Trinity. Dorothy McKibbin’s
description of the explosion perhaps best captures the reality the
successful testing of the atomic bomb meant for the individuals living at
Los Alamos and the world, "I don’t think anyone has ever heard such an
explosion….The leaves of the green native trees were kind of shining with
the gold. It was different, everything was different. The world had
changed." (p. 312.)
Conant’s book, while it is overly emotional and descriptive,
exposes the persons behind the historical events of Los Alamos and brings a
depth and richness to the history of the atomic bomb that is often left
untold. The events at Los Alamos during the twenty-seven months the
scientist and their families called it home changed not only their lives but
also the lives of all people. These events are still affecting the world and
global politics. Conant’s "Purpose in writing this book was to gain
insight into the greatness and the folly of Los Alamos," and through this
lens she captured the drive of the scientific community to help end World
War II and the uncalculated impact that their invention would in turn have
on the world.
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