Oppenheimer’s JFK Connection Is Bigger Than The John F. Kennedy Namedrop Indicates

Oppenheimer name-drops President John F. Kennedy, but the scientist’s connection to JFK is more significant than indicated. Christopher Nolan’s most recent movie, Oppenheimer, explores the life of Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer leading up to, during, and after the Manhattan Project. After the detonation of Little Boy and Fat Man on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the father of the atomic bomb rightfully developed conflicting feelings about nuclear weapons. His science killed and permanently injured hundreds of thousands of innocent people. His change in opinion put him at odds with another physicist named Lewis Strauss, who spearheaded the development of the H-bomb despite seeing the destruction in Japan. This animosity is shown throughout Oppenheimer.

The movie showed Strauss sabotaging the titular scientist behind the scenes. During his time as the leader of the Atomic Energy Commission, he worked to strip Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer of his security clearance and defame him for his political affiliations. Towards the end of Oppenheimer, Strauss’ bid for a role in the presidential cabinet failed. The movie name-dropped JFK as one of the swing votes who rejected Strauss. While it felt like foreshadowing found in fictional films, President John F. Kennedy was more significant in Oppenheimer’s story than the movie shows.

JFK Played A Small Role In Lewis Strauss’ Failed Senate Appointment

In Oppenheimer, Lewis Strauss’ behavior towards the titular Manhattan Project scientist cost him the job of Secretary of Commerce. Rami Malek’s David Hill knew about Strauss’ betrayal of Dr. Oppenheimer and spoke out against his behavior during the confirmation hearing. Later, Oppenheimer name-dropped future President John F. Kennedy as one of the senators who voted against Strauss’ appointment. Kennedy indeed did vote against Strauss, though not because of his treatment of Dr. Oppenheimer. According to JFK’s letter to the Boston Globe, Strauss’ lobbying and empty promises alienated the Senator and made him believe he was under the thumb of the President (via Newspapers.com).

JFK Helped Restore Oppenheimer’s Reputation (Even After His Assassination)

Almost ten years after Strauss ruined Dr. Oppenheimer’s reputation in Oppenheimer, JFK made amends to the father of the atomic bomb by inviting him to a White House dinner with Nobel Prize winners (via IAS). The scientist was nominated for the Nobel Prize for physics in 1946, 1951, and 1967 but never won the award. As such, his inclusion made a clear statement that Dr. Oppenheimer’s scientific work was profound enough – in the eyes of President John F. Kennedy – that he should be held up in the same regard as those who did win Nobel Prizes.

In 1963, President Kennedy decided Dr. Oppenheimer would receive the Enrico Fermi Award, given to scientists who go above and beyond in their contributions to the United States’ scientific progression. Unfortunately, the President was assassinated before he could officially grant the award to Dr. Oppenheimer. As such, at the last point in Oppenheimer’s chronological timeline, President Lyndon B. Johnson gave Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer the Fermi Award on December 2, 1963. This finally restored his reputation after the slam campaign by Strauss, as shown in Oppenheimer.

Sources: Newspapers.com and IAS