From the archives: Robert Oppenheimer in 1965 on if the bomb was necessary

In a 1965 interview with CBS News, J. Robert Oppenheimer said about the atomic bomb, "The ending of the war by this means, certainly cruel, was not undertaken lightly. But I am not, as of today, confident that a better course was then open. I have not a very good answer to this question."

#oppenheimer #WWII #history

[nihil]

The care he takes to answer the questions is one of the most valuable lessons that we could take.

[dcc]

Incredible to hear him talk about how the violence in WW2 "had no place in the 20th century". Words of someone who grew up learning of the brutality of the past century and probably thought, before the 1930s, "we as a modern society should be above that".

Most of us probably feel like this today....

[Geohillierneo]

This is truly fascinating video. Not a man who is evil. Not a serial killer. Just a genius, who unfortunately for him, created the deadliest thing ever made.

[LS-kift]

You can just feel the weight of the burden that he carried for the rest of his life. He was truly a brilliant, complicated, and tortured man.

[zaeroses]

I think the interviewer is very good here. Letting him complete each point without interruption, even with pauses.

[antduude]

It's important to keep in mind that Oppenheimer, knowing just how devastating the atomic bomb would be, genuinely believed that once mankind had seen just how horrific the results were, no one would ever _want_ to build another weapon like it. That the bombs dropped on Japan would be the cautionary warning to humanity that no one else would follow in his footsteps.
Of course, he misjudged the US, Soviet, & Chinese desires simply to acquire, and accelerate development of bigger, more powerful weaponry into the Arms Race we know today. He was persecuted by the government, accused of being a spy, a Communist and worse, stripped of his security clearance and publicly humiliated, simply for speaking out against the acceleration of nuclear weapons development.
If anything, Oppenheimer is only guilty of giving Mankind the benefit of the doubt.

[spicion]

I love this. No interrupting like modern interviewers...

[anzhnd]

Cillian murphy did a phenomenal job matching oppenheimers vocals and facial movements

[Khalid]

This is the way to do an interview. The current day journalists should learn from this.

[theabyssofthoughts]

Honestly, straightforwardness and incredible articulation. No sugarcoating as well. Wish all interviews were more akin to this one.

[spaceface]

You can see a thoughtfulness and honesty in his eyes, an actualized man. He is vulnerable in his discourse and willing to say something without spinning his own thoughts to a narrative.

[BGzGamersVoid]

"I don't want to speak for others... because we're all different"
Wow 🙏

[Tea-rettes]

Great detail to note here is how deeply introspective he is. So many people attempt to create an illusion of intelligence through the use of big words and rapid speech, hoping to trick you with word salad. Not Oppenheimer. He's constantly looking inward, constantly thinking about each and every word before he says it. His pauses speak more to his intelligence than any one of the descriptive terms he uses.

[andrewk]

The intelligence and nuanced ideas laced into his responses are impressive to me. I wish we as a society encouraged this type of thought over an emphasis on "knowing" the answer to every question.

[TheStewdansby]

‘Or is that an oversimplification?’ is a question you will not hear asked in earnest from a modern journalist, who seeks the sensational sound bite and the clickbait headline drawn from comments taken out of context. Props to the journalists of yesteryear. Ask thoughtful questions, listen, don’t interrupt, let the person speak, edit respectfully.

You see it in his eyes & hear it in his voice. This man carried an unfathomable load until the end of his life.

[tomjones]

I love how he takes the time to answer the questions. You can see his mind working to answer exactly how he means to answer. It's amazing to watch this genius speak and know he means every word he says and yet we can actually understand him.

[benwait]

“I have not a very good answer to this question” he said directly after giving a very good answer to that question.

[sstteevveenn]

He has the "thousand yard stare". I can't even begin to imagine the anxiety & depression he must have been through.

[X_wey]

Let's be real. If not Oppenheimer, it would be another mastermind. Maybe the creation of an atomic bomb wasn't necessary. But it was inevitable.