Manhattan Project: Official History and Documents.
- Location: McKeldin Library
Call Number: Microfilm QC773.ALM3 - Manhattan Project: Official History and Documents.
12 Reels.
Description
This collection includes material on the diplomatic history of the Manhattan Project as well as the daily log, the diary of Colonel Mathias, and reports on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The orginal documents are held by the National Archives. Restricted items have not been microfilmed.
Items are arranged on the reels by book number as listed in the Guide:
- Book I: General (Reels 1-5, parts restricted).
- Book II: Gaseous Diffusion (Restricted; not available).
- Book III: The P-9 Project (Reel 6).
- Book IV: Pile Project (Reels 6-8).
- Book V: Electromagnetic Project (Reels 8-9).
- Book VI: Liquid Thermal Diffusion (S-50) Project (Reel 9).
- Book VII: Feed Materials, Special Procurement, and Geographical Exploration (Reel 10, part restricted).
- Book VIII: Los Alamos Project (Reels 10-12, parts restricted).
The Guide locates documents as they are arranged on the reels and gives a detailed breakdown of the materials in the collection. There is no cumulative subject index.
The Manhattan Engineering District, later known as the Manhattan Project, was formed upon the recommendation of Vannevar Bush to President Roosevelt in 1942. It was established in order to involve the U.S. Army in the production of fissionable materials. It operated under the command of Brigadier General Leslie R. Groves, with the advisement of James B. Conant and Richard C. Tolman. It was dedicated to the development of three major fission processes and was responsible for the design of the atomic bomb, under the supervision of J. Robert Oppenheimer and Enrico Fermi in Los Alamos, New Mexico. In addition, the Project was involved in related intelligence gathering operations, diplomatic missions and the location of uranium ore. It was in 1947 by the Atomic Energy Commission.
See also: Stimson, Henry Lewis. The Henry Lewis Stimson Diaries in the Yale University Library. (M-Film, 9 reels).
Portions of the Manhattan Project collection are still restricted and have not been microfilmed.
Index/Guide
The following source provides more detailed information about the contents of each microfilm reel in the collection:
- REF QC773.ALM31
- Guide to Manhattan Project: Official History and Documents. Edited by Paul Kesaris
