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I have read many books on Oppenheimer and the history of the atomic and
hydrogen bombs and I'm looking forward to the Christopher Nolan movie
as well.
I note in the trailer details like the Szilard/Teller meeting with Einstein and
a visit to Stagg Field at the University of Chicago no doubt en-route to
visit Fermi.
The story of Oppenheimer himself reads like a modern Greek tragedy.
The synergy between Oppenheimer and Leslie Groves is key to the project.
The backstory of Oppenheimer's relationships with Kitty and Jean Tatlock
and his brother Frank are also key in understanding the man.
The friction between he and AEC chairman Lewis Strauss and the
overly-ambitious Teller and the backdrop of Cold-War paranoia
results in his sad fall from favour.
One of the better treatments was the 8-part 8-hour BBC drama, "Oppenheimer"
made in 1980 starring Sam Waterston as Oppenheimer and David Suchet
as Edward Teller.
For a highly detailed historical telling of the development of the
bomb rather than the story of Oppenheimer, the book I recommend the
most to the interested reader is Richard Rhodes Pulitzer Prize winning
"The Making of the Atomic".
It tells a story more fantastic, vast and epic than even any fiction dreamt
up by an incredible imagination of the likes of a Tolkien.
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