2 Replies Latest reply on Jan 2, 2020 11:12 AM by LOC Manuscript Division

    Seeking information about the Manhattan Project in the National Archives records

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    Adam Roche Dec 30, 2019 3:27 PM

      I am a student in the last year of my Secondary Level education in Co. Clare, Rep of Ireland.  As part of my Leaving Certificate Exam for History, I am submitting a project entitled 'The Manhattan Project.' Next step after I graduate next summer, will hopefully be University (3rd

      Level).

       

      My project covers the period from the discovery of Radioactivity in Uranium by Henri Becquerel in 1886, focusing on the development of the bomb itself, the Atomic Theory, the USA and International team of scientists involved, the key sites, the bomb assembly, culminating on the the dropping of the Uranium bomb on Hiroshima on 6th August, 1945 and Plutonium bomb on Nagasaki on 9th August, 1945.  Finally I refer to the legacy of the Manhattan Project, the Nuclear Era, the Cold War, the non-military energy uses and the consequences when things go wrong - incidents in Nuclear Power Plants; the most well-known being Sellafield/Windscale (Cumbria, U.K. on 10th October, 1957); 3 mile Island (Pennsylvania, U.S.A. on 28th March, 1979); Chernobyl (Northern Kiev, Ukraine on 26th April, 1986) and Fukushima (Okuma, Japan on 11th March, 2011); the effects of the atomic tests, the bomb drops and nuclear power plant accidents on the  environment.

       

      As a backdrop, I refer to events which were taking place at key points during 'The Manhattan Project' in particular those during World War  II and how the influenced decisions regarding the project.

       

      I am hoping that the US National  Archives and administration will have some material; ideally an overview  or summary document/report, covering the all or part of period covered (in particular the Manhattan Project itself) and references (as it's essential that I include as many as possible.  In my dissertation, I will reference you as one of my core sources for information and references.

       

      My sincerest thanks for any information that you can provide.

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