Racing for the Bomb

Mr. Norris discussed Racing for the Bomb, his biography of General Leslie Groves published by Steerforth Press. Leslie Groves was a career officer in the Army Corps of Engineers who became the director of the top secret Manhattan Project in 1942. He organized the construction of the 2 billion dollar project, oversaw a workforce of over 150,000, and completed the construction of the first atomic bomb in a thousand days. In the book, Mr. Norris also talks about Groves' role in mobilizing U.S. troops during the war and his directorship of the project to build the Pentagon. Mr. Blanton commented on the book, and Mr. Kramish shared his personal experience about the project and General Groves. The panelists answered questions following their remarks.