How The Soviets Got the Bomb

As a biographer of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, I urge strong caution in accepting without serious scrutiny Pavel Sudoplatov's account of Oppenheimer's "contributions" to Soviet nuclear weapons development ((BOOK EXCERPT, April 25)). It is a matter of historical record that Oppenheimer was interested in a variety of left-wing causes during the 1930s and early '40s and that friends and family belonged to the American Communist Party for brief periods. It is also true that the Soviets were able to penetrate the wartime Manhattan Project -- and particularly Los Alamos. Klaus Fuchs is without doubt their greatest success in that regard. But it is also true that Oppenheimer was under the closest possible scrutiny by this government from 1942 onward, especially after the war.

There is no evidence that he passed or allowed others to pass classified information to the Soviets or any other source. Sudoplatov claims to recall events that took place more than 50 years ago. His memory could be faulty or in error, or he might be guilty of deliberate fabrication. He could be confusing Oppenheimer's prewar politics with Fuchs' detailed reporting of bomb secrets.

James W. Kunetka

Austin, Texas

Many people will use your article to brand Oppenheimer a spy again, but he was a member of a special group of world-class scientists who understood the geopolitical consequences of their actions. They all felt strongly that sharing the technology was a way to achieve the delicate balance that would keep the world from another terrible war. Your article shows the complicity and intrigue that the Soviet system used to advance its technical development. The Soviets would have had the Bomb in 10 years anyway, because they were good scientists. The espionage and the openness of the American scientists just helped them get it much sooner.

Bob Skaggs

Santa Fe, New Mexico

AOL: BobSkaggs