John Francis Moynahan was a Public Relations Officer for the Manhattan Engineering District, and later worked as an international public-relations consultant. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his work on the Manhattan Project. Moynahan was born in Boston, MA, on April 11, 1912. He graduated from Boston College in 1933. In 1942, Moynahan was called to active duty. He served with the Army Air Forces and Office of Strategic Services (OSS).
Leslie Groves appointed his trusted aide, William A. Consodine, to be in charge of the Manhattan Project Public Relations Program. He made this effort to prevent information about the secret project from spreading and to control the release of project news. Moynahan then became Consodine’s assistant.
On July 16, 1945, Moynahan witnessed the Trinity Test. Shortly after, he traveled with Major General Thomas Ferrell to Tinian Island. After the war he was assigned as the Chief of the Press Branch of Operation Crossroads, conducted at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
He later wrote the book Atomic Diary about his wartime experiences. Moynahan passed away on March 26, 1985.