{"id":34994,"date":"2023-07-18T13:28:16","date_gmt":"2023-07-18T11:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1859551"},"modified":"2023-07-19T02:59:09","modified_gmt":"2023-07-19T00:59:09","slug":"who-was-leslie-groves-matt-damons-oppenheimer-role-explained","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/who-was-leslie-groves-matt-damons-oppenheimer-role-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Who was Leslie Groves? Matt Damon\u2019s Oppenheimer role explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

Groves was a lieutenant general in the United States Army and director of the Manhattan Project. <\/p>

By Molly Moss\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 18 July 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Christopher Nolan\u2019s new film Oppenheimer<\/a> might be a character study of the titular figure known today as the \u2018Father of the atomic bomb\u2019<\/a>, but the film also delves into the story of another key individual involved in the Manhattan project \u2013 Leslie Groves.<\/p>\n

In the latest trailer for Christopher Nolan\u2019s biographical drama, Groves (who is played by Matt Damon)<\/a> is seen advising Oppenheimer about the potential trade-off of his plan to successfully detonate an atomic bomb.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you saying there\u2019s a chance that when we push that button, we destroy the world?\u201d Groves asks Oppenheimer in the clip.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cChances are near zero,\u201d Oppenheimer responds, to which Groves says: \u201c<\/span>Near <\/span>zero?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you want from theory alone?\u201d the scientist asks.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Zero <\/span>would be nice,\u201d Groves says.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, who exactly is Groves, and what was his role in the Manhattan Project which led to the creation of the atomic bomb<\/a>? Read on for everything you need to know about Damon\u2019s Oppenheimer<\/a> character.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who was Leslie Groves?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Groves was a lieutenant general in the United States Army and director of the Manhattan Project.<\/span><\/p>\n
He was born in 1896 in Albany, New York, and entered the Army Corps of Engineers in 1918, where he took on a series of supervisory positions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
From 1940 to 1942, Groves oversaw all army construction in the United States, which involved building camps, airfield, depots and the Pentagon \u2013 an immense engineering and administrative effort that earned Groves a reputation as someone with management genius.<\/span><\/p>\n
In mid-1942, the Army Corps of Engineers was put in charge of the Manhattan Project and, in <\/span>September 1942, Groves was appointed as its head. <\/span><\/p>\n
Groves oversaw all aspects of scientific research and technical development for the atomic bomb, as well as a vast security and intelligence operation.<\/span><\/p>\n
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