The Los Angeles Times has an excellent article on the Manhattan Project National Historical Park at Hanford, WA. Written by LA Times travel reporter Christopher Reynolds, Facing difficult questions at the Manhattan Project’s Hanford Site discusses what you will learn about and see on a tour at the Manhattan Project NHP at Hanford. Reynolds describes going on a tour at the B Reactor, along with enthralled schoolchildren who enjoyed learning about the history and science of the reactor. The article also describes the other Manhattan Project and prewar properties that can be visited at Hanford.
Reynolds writes, “It’s no easy job, teaching American history. But it’s a responsibility the park service claimed decades ago, with backing from Congress and several presidents. And for parents whose kids are ready to start confronting the world’s complexities, these historical parks are a chance to do that together.”
He explains that the current interpretation at the reactor focuses on the engineering and physics of producing plutonium, but he hopes that more programming will soon be included to explore the decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan and their impact on the Japanese people. “I’ll hope for programming that [is] provocative. Although I know the Manhattan Project park will never match the attendance at the parks with epic mountains and charismatic beasts, it’s a great American opportunity to visit a place like this, stretch beyond our usual horizons and perhaps even learn what it’s like to stand at both ends of an atomic bombing mission.”
The article also includes a nuclear history timeline, tips for visiting the Manhattan Project NHP at Hanford, and information about the other park sites at Oak Ridge, TN and Los Alamos, NM.
The Atomic Heritage Foundation is pleased to see the Manhattan Project NHP covered by the LA Times, and looks forward to more national coverage of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.