19404 - The Fall of the American Prometheus: The Persecution of J. Robert Oppenheimer

Course Overview

In May 1953, President Dwight Eisenhower met with prominent Jewish businessman Lewis Strauss to offer him the chairmanship of the Atomic Energy Commission, the most important nuclear policy making position in the U.S. government. Strauss would accept the position only on one condition: that Strauss be allowed to strip America’s most famous nuclear physicist, J. Robert Oppenheimer, of his security clearance, and thus exile Oppenheimer from US nuclear policy making. This presentation will cover how these two Jewish men came into conflict in the context of the early Cold War with its Red Scare, the larger debate over how nuclear policy should be decided and the enigma and legacy of Oppenheimer.

Prerequisites

A current OLLI Membership is required to register for this course, please click here to add to your cart. Please purchase one membership per account.

Additional Information

Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test is no longer required for entry. Masks are recommended.

A current OLLI Membership is required to register for this course, please click here to add to your cart. Please purchase one membership per account.

This class is eligible for UNM Tuition Remission under Personal Enrichment.