The Manhattan Project

This BBC podcast episode of "In Our Time" features Melvyn Bragg leading a discussion with Bruce Cameron Reed, Cynthia Kelly, and Frank Close about the Manhattan Project. The conversation covers the scientific discoveries that led to the project, the key figures involved like General Groves and Robert Oppenheimer, the massive industrial effort to produce enriched uranium and plutonium at sites like Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, and Hanford, and the ethical considerations surrounding the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The participants also discuss the role of espionage, the lessons learned from the project, and the long-term consequences of nuclear proliferation.