Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm77035188
Collection material in English
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
The papers of J. Robert Oppenheimer, physicist and director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, were given to the Library of Congress by his wife, Katherine Harrison Oppenheimer, in 1967. Supplementary papers were transferred to the Library by the Atomic Energy Commission in 1971. Additional material was given by Princeton University Library in 1973 and Richard G. Hewlett in 1977. Further additions were donated by Alice Kimball Smith, Charles Weiner, and Herbert W. Smith in 1981 and 1982, by R. Joseph Anderson in 1999, and the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University in 2016.
The papers of J. Robert Oppenheimer were arranged and described in 1968. Additional material received between 1971 and 1982 was processed in 1973 and 1984 and the description revised and expanded in 1997. Material received in 1999 was processed in 2000, and an addition in 2016 was processed in 2016.
Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial divisions of the Library. Approximately sixty magnetic tapes, chiefly of Oppenheimer's speeches, have been transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division. Of special note are three reels of conversation between Oppenheimer and Niels Bohr in 1958; three reels recorded at the Seven Springs Farm Conference which include Robert Lowell reading poetry from the Russian and addresses by Wallace K. Harrison, Robert Lowell, and Nicolas Nabokov; and three tapes of interviews relating to the Los Alamos project. Two short motion pictures, “Thirty Minutes With Oppenheimer” (NBC television) and Edward R. Murrow's “A Conversation With J. Robert Oppenheimer” (part of the “See It Now” series on CBS television) also have been transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division. Glass slides of various graphs are now in the Prints and Photographs Division. All transfers are identified in these divisions as part of the J. Robert Oppenheimer Papers.
Copyright in the unpublished writings of J. Robert Oppenheimer in these papers and in other collections of papers in the custody of the Library of Congress has been dedicated to the public.
The papers of J. Robert Oppenheimer are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Government regulations control the use of security classified material in this collection. Manuscript Division staff can furnish information concerning access to and use of classified items.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, J. Robert Oppenheimer Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of
There was no major rearrangement of these papers; Oppenheimer's own filing arrangement and cross-reference system were used wherever possible. He once described the papers as a “hideously complete archive,” and they document the many facets of his career. The collection includes material on theoretical physics, the development of the atomic bomb, the relationship between government and science, the organization of research on atomic energy, control of atomic energy and its role in international affairs, security in scientific fields, secrecy, loyalty, disarmament, the education of scientists and international intellectual exchange, the moral responsibility of the scientist, the relationship between science and culture, and the public understanding of science.
Material in the collection prior to 1941 comprises two small groups of
scientific papers consisting chiefly of reprints of Oppenheimer's
early
scientific writings
with galley proofs, holograph manuscripts by
associates, and miscellaneous notes. Correspondence containing scientific
calculations was written by such prominent physicists as
Documentation of Oppenheimer's wartime contributions, including his
organization and direction of the
At the end of World War II, during Oppenheimer's activities as one of
the chief governmental advisers on atomic questions, he served on almost every
committee, both civilian and military, that dealt with the problems of atomic
energy. There is a considerable amount of correspondence documenting these
activities, but little material pertaining to his chairmanship of the
The control of atomic energy and its role in international affairs is
a major theme in these papers. Closely associated with these subjects is
Oppenheimer's hearing before the
Although there is no official material for Oppenheimer's directorship
of the
Following the revocation of his security clearance in 1954,
Oppenheimer traveled widely and lectured on physics and the interrelationship
of science and culture. The
Speech,
Lecture, and Writing File
reflects this activity with notes, drafts, and
printed copies of his talks and an index of titles and places of delivery. The
papers also document Oppenheimer's participation in the
Oppenheimer planned to write a history of theoretical physics in the
twentieth century, whose leading practitioners were virtually all among his
principal correspondents. Prominent scientists not previously mentioned include
The arts and humanities are also well represented in the collection.
The
General Case
File
contains folders of material from such persons as
Addition I
primarily contains a small group of originals and copies of
correspondence from Oppenheimer to family, friends, and professional colleagues. There
are also miscellaneous files composed of printed and near-print matter, photographs,
writings by others, and one reel of negative microfilm containing “A History of the
Addition II contains inventories of classified documents from the Department of the Navy, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Department of State, and the Research and Development Board. It also contains miscellaneous correspondence received from the general public.
The collection is arranged in sixteen series:
Appointment books with a few annotations and miscellaneous notes.
Arranged chronologically.
Letters received and copies of letters sent, memoranda, unpublished manuscripts received, secretary's notes, clippings, photographs, reports, and printed matter.
Arranged alphabetically by topic, name of person or organization, or type of material.
Letters received and copies of letters sent, memoranda, secretary's notes, clippings, and printed matter.
Arranged alphabetically by name of organization or person.
Letters received and copies of letters sent, memoranda, secretary's notes, clippings, minutes, and printed material.
Arranged alphabetically by name of organization.
Letters received and copies of letters sent, unpublished manuscripts received, and clippings, chiefly from autograph seekers or admirers.
Arranged alphabetically by name of person.
Letters received and copies of letters sent, bulletins, minutes, notices, travel vouchers, receipts for classified documents, and inventories relating to projects or agencies.
Arranged alphabetically by name of project or agency.
Letters received and copies of letters sent, drafts, notes, press releases, clippings, and printed matter relating to security hearings.
Arranged alphabetically by topic, name of person or organization, or type of material.
Letters received and copies of letters sent, awards, honors, bibliographical and biographical material, financial papers, physics papers, and testimonies.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Reprints, galley proofs, and one draft.
Arranged chronologically with an annotated list.
Drafts, notes, galley proofs, requests to reprint or quote, correspondence, clippings, printed matter, and an index.
Arranged alphabetically by title and/or publisher.
Printed matter, photographs, and an incomplete card index of Oppenheimer's memberships.
Letters received and copies of letters sent, memoranda, manuscript and near-print research reports, and scientific photographs.
Arranged chronologically.
Originals and copies of letters sent. Arranged alphabetically by name of recipient. Also miscellaneous files containing printed and near-print matter, photographs, writings by others, and a microfilm copy of a history of the Institute for Advanced Study.
Arranged alphabetically by topic, type of material, or title.
Incoming correspondence received from the general public and inventories of classified documents.
Arranged by type of material.
Classified government documents consisting mostly of correspondence and reports.
Organized and described according to the series, folders, and boxes from which the items were removed.
Classified government documents consisting of memoranda and a report.
Organized and described according to the series, folders, and boxes from which the items were removed.
Restricted government documents consisting of correspondence.
Organized and described according to the series, folders, and boxes from which the items were removed.