LibGuides: Primary Sources: America in World War II: The Manhattan Project

The Manhattan Project

The Manhattan Project was a top-secret research and development project during World War II that produced the first atomic bombs. Initiated in 1942, the project's primary objective was to develop nuclear weapons before Nazi Germany. Led by the United States with support from the United Kingdom and Canada, the project brought together the brightest scientific minds of the time, including physicists such as J. Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, and Niels Bohr.

The Manhattan Project operated under the utmost secrecy, with research facilities scattered across the United States, including Los Alamos, New Mexico; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and Hanford, Washington. Scientists worked tirelessly to overcome technical challenges in uranium enrichment and plutonium production, pushing the boundaries of scientific knowledge and engineering.

In July 1945, the Manhattan Project achieved its goal with the successful detonation of the first atomic bomb, code-named "Trinity," in the New Mexico desert. This test confirmed the feasibility of nuclear weapons and paved the way for the deployment of atomic bombs against Japan.

On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, followed by another on Nagasaki three days later. The devastating impact of these bombings led to Japan's unconditional surrender, effectively ending World War II.

The Manhattan Project remains one of the most significant scientific and technological achievements in history, marking the dawn of the nuclear age and forever altering the course of warfare and international relations. Its legacy continues to raise ethical questions about the use of atomic weapons and the responsibilities of scientists in the pursuit of knowledge and innovation.

Book Sources: Manhattan Project

Click the title for location and availability information.

The Manhattan Project by Ken Hunt
Call Number: View Online
ISBN: 1773850547
Publication Date: 2020-04-15
Their day in the sun : women of the Manhattan Project by Ruth Howes
Call Number: View Online
ISBN: 1566397197
Publication Date: 1999-10-22
The Manhattan Project : making the atomic bomb by Gosling, Francis G. (Francis George), 1947- author.; United States. Department of Energy. Office of History and Heritage Resources, issuing body.
Call Number: View Online - Gov Docs
ISBN: 1440859434
Publication Date: 2010
Racing for the bomb : General Leslie R. Groves, the Manhattan Project's indispensable man by Robert S. Norris
Call Number: Boca Raton General Collection UG128.G76 N67 2002
ISBN: 1586420399
Publication Date: 2002-04-01
Polonium in the Playhouse : the Manhattan Project's secret chemistry work in Dayton, Ohio by Linda Carrick Thomas
Call Number: View Online
ISBN: 0814213383
Publication Date: 2017-05-21
Oppenheimer the tragic intellect by Charles Thorpe
Call Number: View Online
ISBN: 0226798488
Publication Date: 2008-09-15
Oppenheimer's choice : reflections from moral philosophy by Richard Mason
Call Number: Boca Raton General Collection BJ59 .M38 2006
ISBN: 9780791467817
Publication Date: 2006-07-03
The girls of Atomic City : the untold story of the women who helped win World War II by Denise Kiernan
Call Number: Boca Raton General Collection F444.O3 K54 2013
ISBN: 9781451617528
Publication Date: 2013-03-05
The Manhattan Project National Historical Park.
Call Number: View Online - Gov Docs

Online Sources: Manhattan Project

Atom Bomb and the End of World War II: A Collection of Primary Sources (The National Security) Washington, D.C., August 5, 2005 - Sixty years ago this month, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, and the Japanese government surrendered to the United States and its allies. The nuclear age had truly begun with the first military use of atomic weapons. With the material that follows, the National Security Archive publishes the most comprehensive on-line collection to date of declassified U.S. government documents on the atomic bomb and the end of the war in the Pacific. Besides material from the files of the Manhattan Project, this collection includes formerly "Top Secret Ultra" summaries and translations of Japanese diplomatic cable traffic intercepted under the "Magic" program. Moreover, the collection includes for the first time translations from Japanese sources of high level meetings and discussions in Tokyo, including the conferences when Emperor Hirohito authorized the final decision to surrender.
The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II A Collection of Primary Sources
Atomic Bomb Decision: Documents on the Decision to use Atomic Bombs on the the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Gene Dannen, independent researcher) Compiled documents from National Archives and other sources.
Atomic Bombing in Nagasaki: Destruction of a City; Aug. 9, 1945 (Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum) Approximately 70,000 were lost by the end of 1945
Atomic Heritage Foundation: Key Documents ( Oregon State University Libraries) This exhibit traces the development of the atomic age from the discovery of radioactivity in the late 1800s to the close of the Cold War near the end of the twentieth century. In so doing, the exhibit discusses the scientific, political and cultural ramifications of nuclear energy while at the same time acting as a learning curriculum for those interested in furthering their studies of the era. The exhibit narrative and images have been developed through extensive use of the History of Atomic Energy Collection at Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections.
Decision To Drop the Atomic Bomb (Harry S. Truman Library) World War II was fought by millions of people in all corners of the world. There were battles and military posts in surprising places. The Caribbean and Central America, Greenland, Alaska, and the Aleutian Islands, Iraq, Syria, Burma, and the Arctic are a few of the little known places that were involved. Every major country of the time was involved in the war.
The Manhattan Project (DocsTeach) Historical Era or Document Type on the Atomic Bomb
Manhattan Project Documents (The Atomic Archive) The United States in late 1941 established a secret program, which came to be known as the Manhattan Project, to develop an atomic bomb, a powerful explosive nuclear weapon. The aim of the project, directed by physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, was to build an atom bomb before Germany did.
Manhattan Project Notebook (1942) (National Archive) Scroll down to the Great Depression and World War II area.
Manhattan Project Photo Galleries (Energy.gov) U.S. Department of Energy
Voices of the Manhattan Project (Atomic Heritage Foundation) ""Voices of the Manhattan Project" is a joint project by the Atomic Heritage Foundation and the Los Alamos Historical Society to create a public archive of our oral history collections of Manhattan Project veterans and their families."
The Nuclear Vault: Resources from the Nuclear Documentation Project (George Washington Univ.) De-classified documents, photos, info, related reading lists, and links related to nuclear weapons, nuclear weapon policies, nuclear crises, and nuclear proliferation (in the U.S. and around the world) from the 1940s through the present

Videos on the Manhattan Project

Manhattan Project (Playlist with 8 videos)

The links below are videos taken from the database listed below. They will require you to be affiliated with Florida Atlantic University with an active username/password to log in and view them.

American History in Video This link opens in a new window
American History in Video provides the largest and richest collection of video available online for the study of American history. The collection allows students and researchers to analyze historical events, and the presentation of historical events over time, through commercial and governmental newsreels, archival footage, public affairs footage, and important documentaries.

Einstein's letter July 16, 1939 - American History Streaming Video Database Explores how the great scientist urged Franklin Roosevelt to develop an atomic bomb. Release Date 2006 Producer Barak Goodman, John Maggio Duration 44 minutes Publication Type Monograph Video Colored Yes Publisher Place New York, NY Field of Interest American History Specialized Area of Interest Depression & World War II (1929-1945) Narrator Campbell Scott Director Barak Goodman, John Maggio Historical Event World War II, 1939-1945
Harry Truman: Bombing of Hiroshima - American History Video Streaming Database This speech, by Harry Truman, informs the nation that an atomic bomb has been dropped in Japan.
Manhattan Project - American History Streaming Video Database The scientists and engineers who helped build the world's first nuclear weapon reflect on their accomplishments and legacy. The explosion took place, appropriately, in an area of the New Mexico desert called jornada del muerto—the journey of death. At 5:30 AM on July 16, 1945, the first atomic bomb was detonated and a new era began. MODERN MARVELS® draws on government files, archival footage and the memories of many surviving team members to tell the extraordinary story of THE MANHATTAN PROJECT. It's an in-depth portrait of one of the most impressive scientific, engineering and manufacturing projects in human history, made all the more compelling because of its ethical implications. In just 28 months, the United States created a nationwide industry that consumed $30 billion in today's dollars and one-tenth of the nation's electricity, and delivered the deadliest weapon that mankind had ever conceived. Yet when the scientists and dignitaries gathered in that remote desert nearly 60 years ago, few had any real idea of what they had created. Among the people interviewed for this program are General Paul Tibbets, who piloted the Enola Gay over Hiroshima, the past and present directors of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the official Manhattan Project photographer.
Nuclear Tech - American History Streaming Video Database Nuclear research ranges from well-known applications, such as bombs and reactors, to little-known uses in medicine, food preparation, and radiation detection. It's also spawned ancillary technologies to store nuclear waste and clean up accidents. Despite the risk of use and abuse for destructive purposes, many scientists remain optimistic about what's next for the atom. In an explosive hour, we explore the atom in war and peace, and the latest in nuclear power generation, safety, and security.
Roy Glauber: The Bomb That Shook the World - American History Streaming Video Database ROY GLAUBER (born in 1925) – an eminent American theoretical physicist, researcher of the interaction of light and matter, co-winner of the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics. Glauber was a child of the Great Depression and a prodigy. At the age of 16 he became a student at Harvard University. Two years later he was enlisted as one of the youngest scientists of the Manhattan Project whose objective was to create the first nuclear weapons. He later worked at the Institute for Advanced Study and at the California Institute of Technology. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. THE BOMB THAT SHOOK THE WORLD. On July 16, 1945, in the New Mexico desert, in a flash "brighter than a thousand suns" the post-war order was established. The Trinity test had a handful of eyewitnesses and of those just a few took part in the creation of the weapons which less than a month later would destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki. One of them was Roy Glauber. This film is the result of many hours of conversations with him, an erudite scientist blessed with a memory as sharp as a razor. The film presents an extraordinary and deeply personal account of those crucial events. The director, Karol Jałochowski, a science journalist at POLITYKA weekly and Outreach Fellow of the National University of Singapore, in this film combines the skills of journalism and filmmaking. The documentary was shot at the locations of Los Alamos (where scientists worked on the creation of the atomic bomb), Alamogordo (the Trinity test site) and Santa Fe. Recently declassified footage and photographs from the archives of the Los Alamos National Laboratory are a vital addition to the film.
Unseen cinema. 6, Amateur as auteur. 1126 Dewey Ave., apt. 207 - American History Streaming Video Database AMATEUR AS AUTEUR is part of the film retrospective UNSEEN CINEMA that explores long-forgotten American experimental cinema. This mysterious film documents a neatly appointed apartment and the spartan existence of its inhabitants. A woman moves through the rooms. She pours two glasses of wine, sits, reads a magazine, and combs her hair. All the while material possessions surround her, ominously dominating the environment. —BRUCE POSNER Dr. John C. Hecker worked at Eastman Kodak for 40 years, retiring in 1973 as President and General Manager of Distillation Products Industries. Between 1943 and 1946 he served as Production Manager at Oak Ridge Tennessee Eastman working on the Manhattan Project. He had a deep-rooted interest in amateur film including experimenting with new varieties. —JOHN C. HECKER, JR 16mm 1.37:1 black and white and color silent with music 18fps 3:55 minutes. New music by Rodney Sauer