«Before opening the door to the shuddering world we live in today, we should have knocked. But we preferred to go like a bull at a gate.»
Heinar Kipphardt: In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer (p. 81)
Nowadays, J. Robert Oppenheimer—the inventor of the atomic bomb—is often considered a great American. He was a brilliant scientist as well as a great mind. What is not remembered by quite so many is that Oppenheimer was once dishonoured by his very own country. Heinar Kipphardt’s drama «In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer»—originally written in German and intended as a television script—documents the trial prior to the retraction of Oppenheimer’s security guarantee, effectively eliminating him from all scientific projects related to the US-American military.