Leslie R. Groves

Once the theoretical work regarding chain reactions had been realized in the Chicago experiments, the Manhattan Project moved along to the stage of building and testing an atomic weapon. Brigadier General Leslie R. Groves was the military head of the entire Manhattan Project. Groves consulted with J. Robert Oppenheimer, a distinguished theoretical physicist working on the bomb, to decide the best means to further the project. The two men agreed that it would be best to bring all the theoretical work being done in various cities around the country together in one location. They chose Los Alamos, New Mexico, as the best site to build an expansive design and testing laboratory. Los Alamos proved the perfect location because it was in a remote area, away from large populations of people. This meant that the area could...