Langley-Adams Library (Groveland)

Man of the hour, James B. Conant, warrior scientist, Jennet Conant

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 501-561) and index

individual biography

platesillustrations

index present

non fiction

Man of the hour

bibliography

981640008

Jennet Conant

James B. Conant, warrior scientist

"The remarkable life of one of the most influential men of the greatest generation, James B. Conant--a savvy architect of the nuclear age and the Cold War--told by his granddaughter, New York Times bestselling author Jennet Conant. James Bryant Conant was a towering figure. He was at the center of the mammoth threats and challenges of the twentieth century. As a young eminent chemist, he supervised the production of poison gas in WWI. As a controversial president of Harvard University, he was a champion of meritocracy and open admissions. As an advisor to FDR, he led the interventionist cause for US entrance in WWII. During that war, Conant was the administrative director of the Manhattan Project, oversaw the development of the atomic bomb and argued that it be used against the industrial city of Hiroshima in Japan. Later, he urged the Atomic Energy Commission to reject the hydrogen bomb, and devoted the rest of his life to campaigning for international control of atomic weapons. Now New York Times bestselling author Jennet Conant recreates the cataclysmic events of the twentieth century as her grandfather James experienced them. She describes the guilt, fears, and sometimes regret of those who invented and deployed the bombs and the personal toll it took. From the White House to Los Alamos to Harvard University, Man of the Hour is based on hundreds of documents and diaries, interviews with Manhattan Projects scientists, Harvard colleagues, and Conant's friends and family, including her father, James B. Conant's son. This is a very intimate, up-close look at some of the most argued cases of modern times, the repercussions of which are still affecting our world today"--, Provided by publisher

Atomic pioneer -- A Dorchester boy -- A Harvard man -- No-man's-land -- The chemists' war -- Air castles -- The specialist -- The dark horse -- Unexpected troubles -- The acid test -- A private citizen speaks out -- Mission to London -- War scientist -- A colossal gamble -- Uneasy alliances -- One fell stroke -- A changed world -- Atomic chaos -- First of the cold warriors -- A rotten business -- Man of the hour -- Warrior educator