Promotional poster for the movie “Oppenheimer,” which deals with the story of the invention of the atomic bomb during World War II (Shutterstock)

Documents dealing with the creation of the atomic bomb were put up for auction in the United States, including a letter signed by Robert Oppenheimer, at a time when the film “Oppenheimer,” centered around the creator of this bomb, is competing for Oscars.

The film, in which director Christopher Nolan narrates the biography of the inventor of the atomic bomb, was nominated in 13 categories at the Academy Awards, and it is expected to win a large number of these awards expected to be distributed at a ceremony held this evening, Sunday, March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, USA. .

Among the items offered for sale at the auction held in Boston is a document dealing with the secret process of inventing the atomic bomb at the Los Alamos Laboratory in the US state of New Mexico.

The document, titled the Smith Report, was presented to the press for the first time on August 12, 1945, a few days after the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

RR Auction House noted, “These documents provide a look into the scientific and administrative journey that led to the creation of one of humanity’s most powerful weapons.”

Among the signatories of the documents are Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, who was part of the innovative team of the first nuclear reactor, Nobel Prize winner Ernest Lawrence, who built the first particle accelerator (cyclotron), and James Chadwick, who discovered the neutron, according to the auction house.

Among what is also up for sale is a letter written by Oppenheimer, in which he describes his invention as a “weapon for attackers.” He wrote to a journalist who worked on the Russian nuclear arsenal that “the elements of surprise and terror are as essential (to a bomb) as fissile cores.”

“The letter has amazing content, as Oppenheimer demonstrates an extraordinary vision about the future use of the atomic bomb,” said Bobby Livingston, vice president of RR Auction House.

This document was put up for sale at auction for an initial price of $4,000.

Source: French