Archive description
In December 1953, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) suspended the security clearance of Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, and after a four-week, closed-door hearing in April and May 1954, formally revoked that clearance. This document contains Volume VIa of the transcripts of the hearings, pages 1120-1121. The witnesses in this volume include: J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Document text
Machine-read from the scan, so expect some errors. Lines that couldn’t be read are left out.
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DRo OPPENHEIMER: Yes, siro A I am not the best witness on this. I only recall two basic ways of determining it. A One would be by cloud analysis and sampling in which you use radiochemistry to determine the fragments that are there ~nd their half lives. You can determine ro~ghly the efficiency of the burnup of the material and things of this charactero We had a program on to sample and in that way it was determined. That was Dr. Oppenheimer's chief role at that time in this field of sampling clouds. Q Mr. Dean, would that be called the nuclear method? A I am not a good witness on this. Yes. it involves both chemistry and it involves nuclear physics subject to Q What was the other method that you recall? A The other kind o:f obvious method would be things lime measuriug the earth shock or sound saves» things of this character, as you do in recording an earthquake. Q That is the seismic method.
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C' Was the1·e a third method which was referred to as A I would think they might tr;1 that, tooo A I don't t hinlt he espoused any. I know ·tho one we detected, it was the first method, and that is the one he was concerned with. Q Do you remember he opposed instituting the seismic and sonic methods in the future? A I hnve no know ledge o:f this" Q Do you recall that he suggested that tho~e methods be not adopted without further extensive research? A I have no knowledge o:f this. Q You have no knowledge of that at all? A No. l wouldn't ordinarily, because again he is sitting as a committee of advisors, you see, reporting to the Air Forcev not to the Commissiono The Commission had to follow it closely, but it was in that capacity that he acted in 19419, and subsequent occasions whe11 the Russians e:itploded • MRo GRAY: I don't believe we can get anything in the record on the basis of his testimony on that. ls there anyMR. ROBB: Nothing further. (End of classified portion of transcript.)