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From: cs193aae@unm-la.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.religion,net.physics
Subject: Anti-semitism and the Oppenheimer Case
Message-ID: <255@unm-la.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 16-Feb-85 20:02:56 EST
Article-I.D.: unm-la.255
Posted: Sat Feb 16 20:02:56 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 21-Feb-85 04:49:28 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: Univ. of New Mexico, Los Alamos
Lines: 42
Xref: linus net.religion:5222 net.physics:1929

In a recent article in net.religion, Ken Perlow (who claims to be
a cousin of Robert Oppenheimer's wife Kitty) stated that the lies
about Oppie being a member of the communist party were originally
spread by Edward Teller.

Though Ken Arnold and myself both disputed this (and rightly so),
some recent declassified documents just made public show that
Teller was more to blame for Oppie's demise than originally thought.
Even more disturbing is the fact that anti-semitism played a not
insignificant role in Oppie losing his security clearance.

In specific:

1.  FBI documents in the 1950s show that "Dr. Edward Teller, who
    desires name kept confidential, furnished...the following concerning
    subject [Oppenhemier] and H-bomb.  Teller states subject has opposed
    development of H-bomb since 1945 and is of the opinion that H-bomb
    would have been a reality at least a year ago if it had not been
    opposed by Oppenheimer."

    In addition, Teller had apparently told the FBI that "he would do
    almost anything to see subject [Oppenheimer] separated from the
    atomic energy program."

2.  The primary hard-line dissenter against "compassion" on Oppenheimer's
    security board was Ward Evans, a retired Northwestern University
    chemistry professor who *before the hearings began* thought Oppenheimer
    was guilty.  As the committee chairman had told it, Evans had "made
    some very strong observations of derogatory character against Jews
    in science, saying that in his experience in several personnel
    security board cases, ALMOST WITHOUT EXCEPTION THOSE WHO TURNED UP WITH
    SUBVERSIVE BACKGROUNDS AND INTERESTS WERE JEWISH."

                   ***************************

[It is fascinating to me how after the development of the atomic bomb
by Jewish scientists like Oppenheimer, Bethe, Teller, Feynman, Ulam,
Kistiakowsky, and many others, there are Americans to this day who share
this same anti-semitic sentiment.]
---
bill peter
{ihnp4,seismo}!cmcl2!lanl!wkp