August 13, 2012 marked the 70th anniversary of the official creation of the Manhattan Project. On August 13, 1942, General Eugene Reybold, Chief of the Army Corps of Engineers, issued a general order establishing “a new engineer district, without territorial limits, to be known as the Manhattan Project,…with headquarters at New York, N.Y., to supervise projects assigned to it by the Chief of Engineers” (Robert S. Norris, Racing for the Bomb, 170). General Leslie R. Groves, who became head of the entire Manhattan Project, suggested the name “Manhattan” following the Corps of Engineers custom of naming districts after the city in which they are located. The name had the additional benefit of masking the true purpose of the secretive project.
Two of the Manhattan Project sites, Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Hanford, Washington, held events to commemorate the anniversary on August 13, 2012. The third, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, will host an event on September 19, the 70th anniversary of the selection of Oak Ridge as a Manhattan Project site.
The Los Alamos Historical Society commemorated the anniversary on August 13 by honoring Senator Jeff Bingaman, the sponsor of the Senate legislation to establish a Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The Los Alamos City Council presented Senator Bingaman with a plaque to honor his preservation efforts. Senator Bingaman was cautiously optimistic: “We’ve got strong bi-partisan support for the bill and that endorsement [of the Washington Post] might help get it passed by the end of this year.” Bandelier Park Superintendent Jason Lott highlighted the role of the National Park Service as the nation’s storyteller and the economic benefits Los Alamos would reap from the establishment of a National Historical Park.
In Hanford, about 120 people heard Representative Doc Hastings, a leading champion of creating a Manhattan Project Park, speak at the Richland Library on August 13. The event at Hanford honored the tens of thousands of workers who had a part in the Manhattan Project—many of them without knowing the project’s goal. NBC affiliate KNDU covered the event and the significance of the Manhattan Project’s 70th anniversary. Senator Maria Cantwell, another advocate of the Manhattan Project Park, could not attend the event but issued a press release discussing the anniversary and the importance of preserving the Manhattan Project sites for future generations. On August 20, the Tri-City News Tribune published an editorial in support of establishing a Park.
The Atomic Heritage Foundation is pleased that the proposed Manhattan Project National Historical Park is attracting national attention and support.