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Norris Bradbury (1909-1997) was an American physicist and director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1945-1970. Norris Bradbury was born in Southern California on May 30th, 1909. He graduated from high school at the age of 16 and graduated summa cum laude from Pomona College with his B.A. in chemistry at the age of 20. […]

 Martin Sherwin: This morning I am making arrangements to interview Norris Bradbury in Los Alamos, New Mexico. January 10, 1985. How would you characterize the major problems that [J. Robert] Oppenheimer had when he first got the job as the administrator for Los Alamos? Or at least, when you came on? Norris Bradbury: Let’s get this […]

Martin Sherwin: Okay, this is the middle of an interview with Norris Bradbury. Norris Bradbury: The fact that I wasn’t particularly involved in these discussions, of the type which the Federation of Atomic Scientists started—they started here, of course. I suppose I was committed to running a laboratory and trying to get people to stay […]

Norris Bradbury was an American physicist and director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1945-1970. During the Manhattan Project, Bradbury directed the implosion field test program and helped prepare the “Gadget” for the Trinity test. In this interview, Bradbury explains why he was selected to work at Los Alamos, and discusses his work on […]

Ellen Bradbury Reid moved to Los Alamos in the summer of 1944 when her father was hired by Norris Bradbury to work in the high explosives division. Reid recalls what it was like growing up as a child at Los Alamos and shares stories about her adventures into the Los Alamos hillside with her younger […]

Cindy Kelly: I am Cindy Kelly with Atomic Heritage Foundation and it is Wednesday, July 31, 2013 and I am with Ellen Bradbury Reid. My first question for Ellen is to please tell us your name and spell it.  Ellen Bradbury Reid: Ellen Bradbury Reid. Actually I was Ellen Wilder, and then I married John […]

Ellen Bradbury Reid moved to Los Alamos in the summer of 1944 when her father was hired by Norris Bradbury to work in the high explosives division. Reid recalls what it was like growing up as a child at Los Alamos and shares stories about her adventures into the Los Alamos hillside with her younger […]

Elizabeth V. Davis worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. She worked in SP-4 of Norris Bradbury’s division purchasing nuclear supplies from 1947 to 1957.   Married to Henry F. Davis

Robert JS Brown: I’m Robert JS Brown. Robert S. Norris: You are recording this oral history for the Atomic Heritage Foundation on June third, two thousand fifteen in Washington, DC. Brown: Yes, right. Robert S. Norris: How did you become involved in the Manhattan Project? Can you tell us about that? Robert JS Brown: Like most […]

Helene Suydam: I find this story of how Norris Bradbury came to Los Alamos rather interesting.  He was a graduate student at the University of California in the ‘30s and every student who was a graduate student of Professor [Leonard] Loeb had to join the Navy reserve.  So when the war started all these scientists […]