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Published on: AS

October 25, 1945

President Truman summons Robert Oppenheimer to the White House, but the two don’t like each other. At one point, Truman asks Oppenheimer to guess when the Russians would have their atomic bomb. Oppenheimer says he doesn’t know, and Truman says he knows: “Never.” The discussion continues, and the scientist says, “I feel I have blood on my hands.” After the conversation, the president declares, “Blood on my hands… damn, he hasn’t half as much blood on his hands as I have!”