Leslie Groves
Also known as: Leslie R. Groves · Lieutenant General Leslie Richard Groves, Jr. · Leslie Richard Groves · L. R. Groves
- 1He was a United States Army Corps of Engineers officer.
- 2He oversaw the construction of the Pentagon.
- 3He directed the Manhattan Project during World War II.
- 4His leadership led to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
Leslie Richard Groves Jr.
Connections1
military head of the Manhattan Project
General Groves was the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officer responsible for overseeing the entire project, including construction and security.
Leslie Richard Groves Jr. was a high-ranking officer in the United States Army Corps of Engineers who played a decisive role in the Allied war effort. Beyond his work on the Pentagon, he is best known for his leadership of the Manhattan Project, where he managed the massive logistical and security requirements of the secret research program.
At West Point in 1918Wikimedia CommonsNorthwest exposure showing construction of the Pentagon, 1 July 1942Wikimedia CommonsGroves ran the Manhattan Project from the fifth floor of the New War Department Building.Wikimedia CommonsGroves (left) and Robert OppenheimerWikimedia CommonsGroves at his desk, 1945Wikimedia CommonsThe Oak Ridge K-25 PlantWikimedia CommonsGroves and Brigadier General Thomas Farrell in 1945Wikimedia CommonsGroves and Oppenheimer at the Trinity test site in September 1945. The white overshoes were to prevent fallout from sticking to the soles of their shoes.Wikimedia CommonsWikimedia Commons gallery media for Leslie Groves.Wikimedia Commons; Public domain; Wikimedia Commons: Leslie GrovesA portrait of LTG Leslie R. Groves as Chief, Armed Forces Special Weapons Project/Member, Military Liaison Committee, Atomic Energy Commission. Portrait obtained from Groves's Official Military Personnel File (OMPF).Wikimedia Commons; U.S. Army; Portrait of LTG Leslie R. Groves; Public domain; Wikimedia Commons; Wikidata P18 (image)Leslie Groves's signature.Wikimedia Commons; Leslie R. Groves; https://www.osti.gov/opennet/servlets/purl/16135097.pdf; Public domain; Wikimedia Commons; Wikidata P109 (signature) His administrative oversight ensured that the project moved from theoretical research to the successful production of the atomic bomb. This work culminated in the deployment of nuclear weapons over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, marking a definitive end to the conflict.