Racing for the Bomb: General Leslie R. Groves, the Manhattan Project's Indispensable Man

by Robert S. Norris

COLONEL LESLIE R. GROVES was a career officer in the Army Corps of Engineers, fresh from overseeing hundreds of military construction projects, including the Pentagon, when he was given the job in September 1942 of building the atomic bomb. In this full-scale biography Norris places Groves at the center of the amazing Manhattan Project story.
Norris contributes much in the way of new information and vital insights to our understanding of how the bomb got built and how the decision was made to drop it on a large population center. Richard Rhodes, author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb , writes, “The brilliant engineer who commanded [the Manhattan Project] has never had his due. Groves finally emerges as the historic, tough, larger-than-life leader who made the atomic bomb happen and gave shape to the atomic age.” Groves’s hard work and numerous innovations during World War II also had a lasting imprint on the Cold War that followed. Procedures and practices developed during the Manhattan Project became the building blocks of the “national security state” and the “military-industrial complex.”
“I had always thought of General Leslie Groves as a fringe character in the story of the atomic bomb,” says Seymour Hersh, “a military martinet widely ridiculed by the nuclear physicists. Norris has rewritten the history of the most important event of World War II and in so doing has given us the best account yet of the military colossus that built America’s first nuclear bombs.”

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Science, War, World War II, Audiobook

722 pages, Paperback

First published April 9, 2002

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating but long, slow read. Whereas most books written about the development of the atomic bomb focus on the years of the development efforts (generally early 40s to the use in August 1945), this book starts with General Groves' family history to help understand where and how his abilities to organize and run a major development effort like the Manhattan Project were developed. It leaves you with the obvious conclusion that General Groves was indeed the right man at the right time to make the development of the bomb conclude much earlier than it likely would have under someone else; resulting in many additional deaths in the Pacific and potential invasion of Japan. Along the way I learned much more about Groves and the development efforts of the Manhattan Project than is generally presented in other books. His drive to excel that was instilled in him from his father carried him through his career in the Army Corps of Engineers. In striving to accomplish assigned goals, he did create enemies that somewhat blemished his later career and practically forced an early retirement from the military family he loved. Excellent book; I didn't rate 5 stars mainly because it was a slow-going read even though the information presented was quite fascinating.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know anything about General Groves before picking this up. I was drawn to it as a story of the Manhattan Project but found myself unable to put it down. An interesting man who was the head of one of the most world changing projects of humankind and helped shape the practices that would go on to define the intelligence/counter-intelligence of the Cold War and 21st Century's

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me a different perspective on the Manhattan Project and made me realize it was as much an organizational as a scientific breakthrough. It also gave me a different perspective on General Groves as a person and just how amazing his organizational abilities were. The only complaint I have about the book is the author is repetitive at times and there are several glaring typos.

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative examination of the man who drove the Manhattan Project and the development of the atomic bomb. Learned a lot about the marshaling of scientific, military and industrial resources to accomplish what was perceived at the time to be a do or die situation.

[Afton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written book about the man who successfully brought about the Manhattan Project.

Having grown up near Hanford, and often played at Leslie Groves Park, so I was interested in the history of the man.

The guy was brilliant and perfect for the job, but was an arrogant jackass.

[? · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

[Jeff · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have read many many many books about the Manhattan Project, mostly about the scientists. In nearly all of them, Groves is mentioned in passing, neither negatively or positively. So I was interested in reading a book that centered around the man.

Unfortunately, the author was totally overwhelmed by the subject, and sank into meaningless detail at every opportunity (such as spouting off the dimensions of buildings, how many miles of corridors, how many windows they have) without really giving any background information about them, how they came to be built, or anything relevant. This was repeated throughout the book.

The author presented this book as an objective defense of Groves, claiming that every other book about the people involved in the project vilified him. However, while this book took every opportunity to present him in a positive light, I was very disgusted by him.

To give just one example. He had a mania for secrecy when he was running the project. He removed people from projects for alleged leaks, had people investigated, never let anyone see any more than they had to. Which, on this project, in this war, would be fine. However, after the end of the war, when it was removed from his control, he started leaking documents and information to the press and Congress. He was probably a bigger security risk than anyone else. The hypocrisy of that alone should have sent him to jail.

He came across as the worst type of military officer, angling for promotion and credit at every opportunity rather than doing as so many others do - which is to just do their job.

I'd recommend Richard Rhodes two books on both the atomic bomb and the H-bomb if you want a good picture of what happened.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the years I have read many books about the Manhattan Project and biographies mostly of and about the various scientists on the project. This book is about a man that was mentioned frequently in passing in the various books but nothing in-depth. This book is more of a biography of General Leslie R. Groves (1896-1970) than a history of the Manhattan Project.

Norris cover Groves early life, his life at West Point, graduating 4th in his class and after graduation going into the Corp of Engineers, he also explains how Groves developed his exceptional organizational skills and administrative skills. The author covers Groves’s time overseeing the building of the Pentagon.

Norris states Groves was responsible for choosing the three key sites, Oak Ridge, Los Alamos, and Hanford and for the construction of the buildings at these sites. The author bogs down the book with too much information as how many miles of corridors there we’re and how many windows etc.
At the end of the book Norris covers Groves’s role in the Cold War. Norris was meticulous with his research and had access to all the detailed information on daily activities, meetings, phone calls and so on kept by Gen. Groves’s secretary Jean O’Leary. The book is well written but does bog down at times. I found the book most fascinating.

If you are interested in World War II history or the Manhattan Project this would be an interesting book for you to read. I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The audio book is long 23 hours, Peter Johnson narrated the book.

[M.K.B. Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have rarely read a better nonfiction book. "Racing for the Bomb: The True Story of General Leslie R. Broves, the Man behind the Birth of the Atomic Age," is outstanding. Norris' book, which is exhaustively researched and annotated, offers an overall and detailed picture of the Manhattan project that is simply missing in most other versions I have read. His focus on General Groves in no way limits the complete picture he gives readers of the complexity, the costs, the security surrounding, and the sheer magnitude of the project. The book's structure and the writer's straightforward style allows readers to understand the entire project in a highly readable book. The author also handles the personalities involved in the project with fairness, honesty, completeness, and in an engaging manner. This book is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in WWII, the birth of the atomic age, a study in military hierarchy and politics, and true grit. I cannot give it a higher recommendation. (Although this came up as ebook, I read a paperback version, which I would recommend in order to take full advantage of the extensive annotations.)

[Nick Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good information, but written with an infuriatingly proletarian verve (that's a pronouncement on style, not ideology). There's a lot of "this is not known" and less explicit gaps; these are similarly infuriating, and one wonders "well why didn't you go find out", but better that details be missing and the hint of resolution offered, if for no other reason than later researchers might chase them down.

Amazon 2008-12-11. This one reeks of hagiography, and it won't be too high on the list...I mainly picked it up for completion of the "atomic canon".

[S.L. Berry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comprehensive and readable nonfiction account on the history of the atomic bomb and the man that delivered. A bit wordy, and duplicative in sections and can be hard to follow and keep track of the important dates and significant events, but overall good and nuanced account. The author provides extensive background material on General Leslie R. Groves. It is a good complement to the various movies that have been made. There is a fair amount of scientific material.

[Kevan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting - it's 3pm Jan 1 2009 in NZ but no 2009 option yet in the drop down - anyway....

I really didn't enjoy this book. It's over 500 pp long excluding bibliographies etc.

The amount of content which was actually interesting was minimal and it's mostly just a series of who did what job, who went where etc

God, it was hard work.

[Sean O'Hara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is there anything worse than a historian who's so in love with his research that he has to include every SINGLE FACT he uncovered in the book? When a biography of a 20th Century figure begins with a Huguenot emigrating to the Channel Isles in the 17th Century, you know you're in trouble.