March & April 2001 Newsletter

Volume II - Issue 2

This newsletter is sponsored by the Society for the Historical Preservation of the Manhattan Project (http://www.manhattanprojectmemorial.org and the Children of the Manhattan Project (http://www.childrenofthemanhattanproject.org )

Topics covered in this issue:

01)   Site Statistics

02)   Site Renovation Completed

03)   New Additions to the Site

04)   Additions Planned Next 60 Days

05)   Veteran Search & The Memorial Site

06)   Quote of the Month

07)   Question of the Month

08)   Did You Know?

09)   What’s Ahead – Long Term

01)  Site Statistics...

There are several measurements to the success of any given web site.  The two primary ones are the number of "new" visitors to your site in any given month and the number of "page hits" your site has received. "Page hits" refers to the number of pages viewed by the visitors to the site. For instance, if you visited our site for the first time in February and viewed 5 different pages, our site would have received 5 "page hits". 

The below table will give you an idea of the growth:

Anyway, our success has far exceeded our wildest dreams and has infused us with a tremendous incentive to further expand and enhance our web site. The interest is definitely there and we want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support of our efforts.

02)  Site Renovation Completed…

We have completed the renovation of the “Children of the Manhattan Project” web site; http://www.childrenofthemanhattanproject.org.  This renovation included completely re-writing the home page, adding a detailed site map, and changing close to 150 web pages over to a new format.  Images have been “optimized” to decrease the amount of time that it takes to download to your browsers.  In addition, close to 1,500 page links were changed.  Please let us know if a link is not working properly or you are having any difficulty in accessing the site.

03)  New Additions to the Site…

We have begun our ambitious project to add loads of new content to the site.  We are preparing a long term project plan and this will be included in our next newsletter.  For this newsletter, we have added the following new content:

·       Women Pioneers in Science – This new section includes photos and biographies of eight outstanding women scientists whose work greatly impacted the successful outcome of the Manhattan Project.  Although only two directly worked on the project, all made extraordinary achievements in nuclear science.  Anyone interested in the history of atomic energy needs to read how these women overcame unbelievable obstacles to excel in their field.

·       New Dedication Page – J. Robert Oppenheimer – Anyone cognizant of the history of the Manhattan Project realizes few people could have achieved the success demonstrated by J. Robert Oppenheimer.  Also, perhaps no one in American history was more maligned by his own government than J. Robert Oppenheimer.

·       “In the Shadow of Los Alamos – The Selected Writings of Edith Warner” – We have included an excerpt from the soon to be published book by Northern New Mexico’s own Patrick Burns.  More on this in our next newsletter.

04)  Site Additions & Enhancements – Next 60 Days…

Several new additions and enhancements will be made to the web site in the next 60 days.  Following is a tentative list of some of the more major ones planned:

·       Several new documents and photos relating to Los Alamos will be added.

·       Phase I of our Oak Ridge section will be implemented.

·       Our sister site, http://www.manhattanprojectmemorial.org will be completely re-done with a new color scheme and content.

·       Our new Student and Instructor – Education section will be completed.

·       We will launch our new Message Board Community.

05)  Veteran Search and the Memorial Site…

We must not lose sight that our primary focus has always been and will continue to be the Manhattan Project Veteran.  We have several initiatives started that should improve our success in locating veterans.

If anyone has information on any of the following veterans, please contact us.

a) Dr. Rose Mooney; Professor at Newcomb College then to Los Alamos

b) Dr. Joseph Morris; Prof. at Tulane; then to Los Alamos

c) Grover H. Catt; 509th Composite Group

d) Dr. Arthur Hughes; Prof. at Washington Univ.; St. Louis

e) Edward Robert Beckendorf; Probably Los Alamos

f) John Frank Boling; Civilian employee; Oak Ridge

g) Paul Gilham Lowe; With Manhattan Project; unsure location

h) John Westerling; Chemical engineer; SED; Los Alamos

06)  Quote of the Month...

·        Sometime in 1943, General Groves, while visiting the Berkeley Radiation Laboratory which was at work separating U235 by electromagnetic means, attempted to spur Ernest O. Lawrence (the director of the lab) on by saying to him, "You know, Doctor Lawrence, your reputation is at stake here".  Later that evening over cocktails, Lawrence (who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1939) turned and said to Groves, "You know, General, my reputation has been made; but yours is at stake here."  Groves did not respond.

07)  Question of the Month...

First, the question from our last newsletter: One prominent member of the Manhattan Project was known "unofficially" as "His Nibs". Who was this person?

We received only 2 replies.

The correct answer:  Maj. Gen. Leslie Groves

This Month's Question:  What was the MAUD Committee?

08)  Did You Know?...

Blacks who worked at Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project years were forced to live separately from the “white” work force.  They lived in an area known as the “Colored Hutment”.

09)  Final Message…

Again, we wish to thank all of you for your continued support and interest in preserving the historical importance of the Manhattan Project.  We have over 250 on our e-mail list and are adding to it every month.

We are always eager for new content for both our newsletter and web site.  The interest amongst our young people is growing by leaps and bounds.  Anything that you can contribute would be greatly appreciated.