What Happened To Leslie Groves After Oppenheimer & The Manhattan Project (2024)

Lieutenant General Leslie Groves plays an instrumental role in the creation of the atomic bomb in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, but not all moviegoers know what happened to the director of the Manhattan Project after World War II. Based on the biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Oppenheimer tells the story of the titular theoretical physicist who helped develop the first nuclear weapons under the Manhattan Project. In addition to documenting J. Robert Oppenheimer’s involvement, Oppenheimer also highlights the roles of other instrumental players in the Atomic Age, including Matt Damon's Groves.

Groves’ role as director of the Manhattan Project makes him one of the most significant figures in Nolan’s three-hour epic Oppenheimer. Although Groves is best known for overseeing the Manhattan Project and the creation of the atomic bomb, those aren't the only significant parts of his legacy. Groves' military career continued beyond the events of the movie Oppenheimer, and the director racked up other accomplishments during his later years, too.

Leslie Groves Worked For AFSWP After The Manhattan Project

After his involvement in the Manhattan Project during World War II, Groves continued managing the United States’ nuclear weaponry. One of his chief concerns was losing the wartime knowledge of handling and maintaining nuclear weapons after soldiers and scientists returned to peacetime work. Because of this, he requested 50 high-quality personnel in the top 10 percent of their classes to replace those who were lost. These individuals worked with the remaining scientists on the project, but the former Manhattan Project director hoped for a more permanent solution. This eventually arrived in the form of the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project (AFSWP).

In 1947, Groves was appointed as chief of the AFSWP, where he oversaw the aspects of nuclear weaponry that were controlled by the military. Groves' reluctance to compromise gave higher-ups reservations about giving him the role. However, he proved instrumental to the genesis and early days of the AFSWP. Groves served as chief of the AFSWP from 1947 to 1948, when he decided to retire from the U.S. Army.

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Leslie Groves Retired From The Army In 1948

Unfortunately, the concerns about Groves being a good fit for chief of the AFSWP wound up being well-founded. When the General of the Army, future U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, gave Groves a performance review in January 1948, he reported several complaints about Groves’ conduct and attitude as chief. During this dressing-down, Eisenhower dashed Groves’ hopes of ever becoming Chief of Engineers. Groves realized that in the shrinking postwar military, he would likely never get another assignment as important as the Manhattan Project. Three days after the meeting with Eisenhower, Groves announced his intention to retire from the Army.

Groves officially retired from the U.S. Army a month later, in February 1948, following 30 years of service. Right before his retirement, he received an honorary promotion to lieutenant general as special recognition for overseeing the bomb project. By a special Act of Congress, Groves’ promotion to lieutenant general was backdated to July 16, 1945, the date of the Trinity nuclear test. This promotion cemented Groves’ decorated military career, as well as his commitment to the U.S. military during World War II.

Leslie Groves Died In 1970, 3 Years After Oppenheimer

After retiring from the U.S. Army, Groves expanded his career by becoming vice president of the manufacturing company Sperry Rand. He also wrote a book titled Now It Can Be Told: The Story of the Manhattan Project, which details his and Oppenheimer's work on the atomic bomb. Following these accomplishments, Groves passed away in 1970. On July 13 that year, Groves had a heart attack. He was rushed to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he died at the age of 73. His funeral service took place in Fort Myer, Virginia, and he was buried at Arlington Cemetery in Washington D.C. Groves' grave is next to his brother Allen's.

Groves’ death came three years after the death of his former Manhattan Project colleague, J. Robert Oppenheimer (played by Cillian Murphy in the Nolan movie). Oppenheimer died on February 18, 1967, at the age of 62. His death came on the heels of a battle with throat cancer. Despite Oppenheimer's and Groves’ deaths during the second half of the 20th century, Nolan’s Oppenheimer ensures that the men’s legacies and roles in U.S. history will not be forgotten.