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The Atomic Heritage Foundation (AHF) is a nonprofit organization originally based in
Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
, dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the
Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...
and the
Atomic Age The Atomic Age, also known as the Atomic Era, is the period of history following the detonation of the first nuclear weapon, The Gadget at the ''Trinity'' test in New Mexico, on July 16, 1945, during World War II. Although nuclear chain reaction ...
and its legacy. Founded by Cynthia Kelly in 2002, the Foundation's stated goal is, "to provide the public not only a better understanding of the past but also a basis for addressing scientific, technical, political, social and ethical issues of the 21st century." AHF works with Congress, the
Department of Energy A Ministry of Energy or Department of Energy is a government department in some countries that typically oversees the production of fuel and electricity; in the United States, however, it manages nuclear weapons development and conducts energy-rel ...
, the
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
, state and local governments, nonprofit organizations and the former Manhattan Project communities to preserve and interpret historic sites and develop useful and accessible educational materials for veterans, teachers, and the general public. In June 2019, the Atomic Heritage Foundation and the
National Museum of Nuclear Science & History The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History (formerly named National Atomic Museum) is a national repository of nuclear science information chartered by the 102nd United States Congress under Public Law 102-190, and located in unincorporated ...
signed an agreement that granted stewardship of the Atomic Heritage Foundation website and all of the AHF's physical collections to the museum. The Atomic Heritage Foundation website is now run by the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. Additionally, the museum now houses the Atomic Heritage Foundation's physical collections which will eventually be integrated into the Nuclear Museum's own collection.


Voices of the Manhattan Project

In November 2012, the Atomic Heritage Foundation (AHF) and the
Los Alamos Historical Museum The Los Alamos Historical Museum is housed in the historic Guest House, located next to Fuller Lodge, of Los Alamos Ranch School, which was General Leslie Groves's favorite place to stay during the Manhattan Project. The museum features exhibits ...
launched a new website, "Voices of the Manhattan Project" featuring their oral history collections. Together AHF and the Los Alamos Historical Museum have collected hundreds of oral histories over the years. The interviews offer a variety of perspectives on the project. Some Native Americans discuss the government’s displacement of the tribes from their ancestral lands in
Hanford, Washington Hanford was a small agricultural community in Benton County, Washington, United States. It and White Bluffs were depopulated in 1943 in order to make room for the nuclear production facility known as the Hanford Site. The town was located in what ...
. In others,
Pueblo Indians The Puebloans or Pueblo peoples, are Native Americans in the Southwestern United States who share common agricultural, material, and religious practices. Currently 100 pueblos are actively inhabited, among which Taos, San Ildefonso, Acoma, Z ...
in
New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
talk about the impact of the government project on their ancestral traditions and economy. Veterans recall blowing off steam by hiking and skiing in Los Alamos, dancing and bowling in Oak Ridge, and engaging in a meatball mess hall battle in Hanford. The veterans recalls the top scientists and personnel involved in the project, including
J. Robert Oppenheimer J. Robert Oppenheimer (; April 22, 1904 – February 18, 1967) was an American theoretical physicist. A professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, Oppenheimer was the wartime head of the Los Alamos Laboratory and is oft ...
, Leslie R. Groves,
Enrico Fermi Enrico Fermi (; 29 September 1901 – 28 November 1954) was an Italian (later naturalized American) physicist and the creator of the world's first nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1. He has been called the "architect of the nuclear age" and ...
, and
Leo Szilard Leo Szilard (; hu, Szilárd Leó, pronounced ; born Leó Spitz; February 11, 1898 – May 30, 1964) was a Hungarian-German-American physicist and inventor. He conceived the nuclear chain reaction in 1933, patented the idea of a nuclear ...
. The site features interviews with a number of well-known Manhattan Project veterans, including General
Leslie Groves Lieutenant General Leslie Richard Groves Jr. (17 August 1896 – 13 July 1970) was a United States Army Corps of Engineers officer who oversaw the construction of the Pentagon and directed the Manhattan Project, a top secret research project ...
and
Edward Teller Edward Teller ( hu, Teller Ede; January 15, 1908 – September 9, 2003) was a Hungarian-American theoretical physicist who is known colloquially as "the father of the hydrogen bomb" (see the Teller–Ulam design), although he did not care fo ...
.


Site preservation

The Atomic Heritage Foundation is working in collaboration with the
National Parks Conservation Association The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) is the only independent, nonpartisan membership organization devoted exclusively to advocacy on behalf of the National Parks System. Its mission is "to protect and enhance America's National Pa ...
, the
National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 by ...
, local communities, and other organizations to urge Congress to establish a Manhattan Project National Historical Park. In March 2013, Senators
Maria Cantwell Maria Ellen Cantwell (; born October 13, 1958) is an American politician and former businesswoman serving as the junior United States senator from Washington since 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the Washingto ...
and
Lamar Alexander Andrew Lamar Alexander Jr. (born July 3, 1940) is a retired American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 2003 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he also was the 45th governor of Tennessee from ...
introduced S. 507 to create a park, and Representatives
Doc Hastings Richard Norman Hastings (born February 7, 1941) is an American politician and member of the Republican Party who served as the U.S. representative for from 1995 until his retirement in 2015. The district includes much of central Washington inc ...
,
Ben Ray Lujan Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( ...
, and Chuck Fleischmann introduced a companion bill in the House, H.R. 1208. The Los Alamos, V-Site was the site of assembly for the Trinity device, the first atomic weapon ever detonated. In October 2006, the AHF co-hosted several days of events to commemorate the successful restoration of the High Bay building.


Museum exhibits

The Atomic Heritage Foundation has created several museum exhibits. They are:


Race for atomic power exhibit at Idaho Falls

The first
nuclear reactor A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a fission nuclear chain reaction or nuclear fusion reactions. Nuclear reactors are used at nuclear power plants for electricity generation and in nuclear marine propulsion. Heat from nu ...
capable of producing usable amounts of electricity was
Experimental Breeder Reactor I Experimental Breeder Reactor I (EBR-I) is a decommissioned research reactor and U.S. National Historic Landmark located in the desert about southeast of Arco, Idaho. It was the world's first breeder reactor. At 1:50 p.m. on December 20, ...
, which lit up four light bulbs on December 20, 1951. This historical milestone is one of many captured in the Race for Atomic Power exhibit that opened on May 24, 2005 at the EBR-I. Upon entering the EBR-I, visitors can relax in a 1950s living room and watch TV. Clips from the 1950s as well as Nuclear Pioneers, a brief history of the EBR-I produced by the Atomic Heritage Foundation. Throughout the exhibit are kiosks with video recordings of the veterans explaining aspects of the reactor’s operations. In the control room, Kirby Whitham explains when the misunderstanding of the command, “Take it down,” resulted in a partial meltdown of the reactor core. Blackboards present the fundamentals of nuclear fission and a cut-away diagram shows the inner workings of the reactor. The exhibit was created under the supervision of the AHF and is now run by the Museum of Idaho.


B Reactor exhibits at Hanford

This exhibit focuses on the
Hanford Site The Hanford Site is a decommissioned nuclear production complex operated by the United States federal government on the Columbia River in Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington. The site has been known by many names, including SiteW a ...
and its role in the
Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...
. It feature exhibits on the
B Reactor The B Reactor at the Hanford Site, near Richland, Washington, was the first large-scale nuclear reactor ever built. The project was a key part of the Manhattan Project, the United States nuclear weapons development program during World War II. I ...
— the world's first plutonium production reactor — and its importance, models of the reactor and surrounding buildings, a documentary film (''Hanford's Secret Wartime Mission''), and vignettes and education materials on the history of the Hanford site. The exhibit was developed in partnership with the B Reactor Museum Association, the Hanford Reach National Monument Heritage and Visitor Center, and the Columbia River Exposition on History, Science and Technology.


Books

The Atomic Heritage Foundation has created several books dealing with the Manhattan Project. They are: ''The Manhattan Project: The Birth of the Atomic Bomb in the Words of Its Creators, Eyewitnesses, and Historians'': An anthology that collects the writings and thoughts of the original participants in the Manhattan Project, along with pieces by the most important historians and interpreters of the subject. ''The Manhattan Project Guidebook Series'': A series of four guides to the Manhattan Project in
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
,
New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
,
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
, and
Washington state Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...
. The guidebooks relate the history and significance of the Manhattan Project in these areas. ''Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project'': Edited by Cynthia Kelly, this book provides a spectrum of interpretations of
J. Robert Oppenheimer J. Robert Oppenheimer (; April 22, 1904 – February 18, 1967) was an American theoretical physicist. A professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, Oppenheimer was the wartime head of the Los Alamos Laboratory and is oft ...
's life and scientific achievements. Contributors include the Hon. Senator
Jeff Bingaman Jesse Francis "Jeff" Bingaman Jr. (born October 3, 1943) is an American politician who served as a United States Senator from New Mexico from 1983 to 2013, for 5 terms. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as Chairman of Committee Outrea ...
, authors and historians
Richard Rhodes Richard Lee Rhodes (born July 4, 1937) is an American historian, journalist, and author of both fiction and non-fiction, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning ''The Making of the Atomic Bomb'' (1986), and most recently, ''Energy: A Human Histor ...
, Martin Sherwin,
Kai Bird Kai Bird (born September 2, 1951) is an American author and columnist, best known for his works on the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, United States-Middle East political relations and his biographies of political figures. He won a Pul ...
and Robert S. Norris, and Andy Oppenheimer. ''Remembering the Manhattan Project'': Edited by Cynthia Kelly, part I of this book, comprising papers from the Atomic Heritage Foundation's Symposium on the Manhattan Project in Washington, DC on April 27, 2002, recounts the history of this remarkable effort and reflects upon its legacy. Contributors include
Richard Rhodes Richard Lee Rhodes (born July 4, 1937) is an American historian, journalist, and author of both fiction and non-fiction, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning ''The Making of the Atomic Bomb'' (1986), and most recently, ''Energy: A Human Histor ...
, Robert S. Norris, Martin Sherwin and
Kai Bird Kai Bird (born September 2, 1951) is an American author and columnist, best known for his works on the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, United States-Middle East political relations and his biographies of political figures. He won a Pul ...
,
Gregg Herken Gregg Herken is an American historian and museum curator who is Professor Emeritus of modern American diplomatic History at the University of California, Merced, whose scholarship mostly concerns the history of the development of atomic energy and ...
,
James R. Schlesinger James Rodney Schlesinger (February 15, 1929 – March 27, 2014) was an American economist and public servant who was best known for serving as Secretary of Defense from 1973 to 1975 under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Prior ...
, and others. Part II proposes a strategy for preserving the historical properties and artifacts of the Manhattan Project for the public and future generations. ''Race for Atomic Power'': A companion book to the museum exhibit of the same name.


Films

''Hanford's Secret Wartime Mission'': This documentary film chronicles the story of the Manhattan Project at Hanford where the world's first plutonium production facilities were built along the Columbia River in eastern Washington state. The undertaking paired the University of Chicago's team of extraordinary physicists led by
Enrico Fermi Enrico Fermi (; 29 September 1901 – 28 November 1954) was an Italian (later naturalized American) physicist and the creator of the world's first nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1. He has been called the "architect of the nuclear age" and ...
with the
DuPont Company DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...
's industrial expertise led by
Crawford Greenewalt Crawford Hallock Greenewalt (August 16, 1902 – September 28, 1993) was an American chemical engineer who served as president of the DuPont Company from 1948 to 1962 and as board chairman from 1962 to 1967. Early life Crawford Hallock Green ...
. The film highlights the determination, commitment, and scientific ingenuity of the men and women who took on the seemingly impossible task of producing plutonium in time to contribute to the war effort. ''A Handful of Soldiers'': features three Manhattan Project veterans who describe their experiences at Los Alamos working on the plutonium-based bomb. The twelve-minute film shows the remains of the "V Site" where the first atomic bomb was assembled. ''Nuclear Pioneers'': The 28-minute documentary film on the
Experimental Breeder Reactor I Experimental Breeder Reactor I (EBR-I) is a decommissioned research reactor and U.S. National Historic Landmark located in the desert about southeast of Arco, Idaho. It was the world's first breeder reactor. At 1:50 p.m. on December 20, ...
(EBR-I) tells the story of the first nuclear reactor built by the Atomic Energy Commission. With first-hand accounts from scientists and engineers, the film explores the challenges of creating the world's first reactor to produce usable quantities of electricity and "breed" more fuel than it consumed. Completed in 1951, the EBR-I paved the way for future generations of "peaceful" reactors and was named a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1966 by President Johnson. ''Interviews with Manhattan Project Veterans, Vol. I-III'': These films features interviews with seven Manhattan Project veterans. Complete with pictures from the Department of Energy's archives and short biographies of the veterans, the films describe what it was like to work on the top-secret project that changed world history and created a revolution in science and technology. ''The Race for Atomic Power'': This documentary film traces the history of the
National Reactor Testing Station Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is one of the national laboratories of the United States Department of Energy and is managed by the Battelle Energy Alliance. While the laboratory does other research, historically it has been involved with nu ...
in Idaho Falls, with interviews of former and current employees of NRTS and Idaho National Laboratory. These vignettes discuss the innovations developed at NRTS during its first 25 years. ''General Leslie R. Groves'': A brief biography of General Leslie Groves, who built the Pentagon and then became the Manhattan Project's "indispensable man."


References


External links


Atomic Heritage Foundation Homepage

Voices of the Manhattan Project
;News stories: * * * {{Authority control Historic preservation organizations in the United States