Historically very interesting, unfortunately told by self centered millennials that think these stories revolve around them.

For the parts that focused on the history, it was fine. However, the podcaster tries to make this dramatically personal because her grandfather worked at Oak Ridge. She approached it as if her grandfather was Oppenheimer, trying to wrestle with a work-related decision that would impact mankind. Her grandfather did a job during the war like many others, whether they were making ammunitions or building tanks or working at Oak Ridge. Her ‘struggle’ to understand her grandfather is incredibly convoluted.

From the opening lines to the series, the author makes it clear that, in her view, the fact that the bomb was created at all — irrespective of any contextual factors — is the worst tragedy in human history; and that she feels guilt, shame, and pain just thinking about exploring the context in which it occurred. Moreover, she makes sure to remind you of this at every turn — at least twice per episode. The author even suggests that the only way such a thing could occur was because those evil military government warmongers kept everything so secret that even those working on the project, like her grandfather, didn’t know what they were building — lest they rebel and cancel the whole thing. And yet, her opening remarks state that the salient memory she has of her grandfather is of a photograph of him in front of a mushroom cloud. So much for unwitting or begrudging participation. Anyway, after 6 or 7 episodes, I could not stand the constant preaching, the overly morose tone, or the manufactured drama for an event to which we all know the end. It is a shame because there is some good content and interviews from experts, but the author makes it all insufferable.

If history is written by victor, this podcast is made by psychotics who detached from reality. The perspective is demonizing scientists, promoting submission, and is a huge disgrace to all those who sacrificed in the war from both sides.

If you like overdramatic apologist nonsense that scrutinizes historical war events through a modern lens, season 1 is totally for you. It’s safe to assume the host has never experienced the pain of sending sons overseas to fight on foreign soil. Perhaps she should consider the thousands of Allied soldiers her grandfather’s efforts saved by avoiding a Japanese invasion rather than whining about all her self-imposed generational guilt. BBC should be ashamed of themselves.

And so well done: I’m recommending it to one and all!

I can’t finish this series. It’s physics kid and had the people involved in this story not followed through others would have. My grandfather was a Marine who participated in the island hopping campaigns in the pacific and the experiences of warfare in that theater made it clear that an invasion of the Japanese homeland would have cost far more in blood and treasure than that of the 2 nuclear weapons used before the war ended and he had no doubt that the war ended as a direct consequence of them. It’s always annoying to me when historical events are viewed through a modern rather than contemporary lens and this series immediately falls into this trap. Your grandfather had a job, did it well and you should be nothing but proud of his skills and accomplishments. I am even if you are not.

This is a well-conceived, expertly told BTS story to such a critical part of our history.

Sound effects and production are really nice. But the host/script is straight out of a White Guilt seminar. Be prepared for a bit of a lecture on nuclear weapons…. Assuming that most people don’t understand the horrific effects of the 2 bombs dropped is sophomoric. No one has willy nilly dropped one since. Or even on purpose!

The history was good. No complaint there. I liked her general presentation methods. I completely disagree with her biased interpretations, interjections and a general need to play up the “evil” US as well as her insistence on demonizing her grandfather (I believe it was). There is no other perspective presented here other than her revisionist interpretation of the past. Only her personal feelings of guilt over something she played no part of. For a better and far more objective understanding of the decision to actually use the bomb, take a look at David Barrett’s book “140 Days to Hiroshima”.

It’s a somewhat artistic approach to telling the story. It comes off as more boring than it needs to be. Although, if you enjoy listening to audio while you go to sleep, this is perfect.

I enjoyed the conversations by specialists and historians but doubt some of the editing and angle taken by Stausser. Firstly, her voice is just not podcast worthy, would have loved the specialist from the Atomic Foundation to narrate, her voice had gravitas and seriousness. Statusser by contrast sounds like a millennial or worse, which brings me to the second point. The personal angle as an opening is interesting but to belabor it every episode is so annoying. Her personal “guilt” is such an unnecessary topic of discussion other than to make aware how biased she is. Nuclear war is bad, we get it, no one wants it but it trivializes the type of horrors and terrors under which the project of the bomb was built. Which takes me to my last point. The interviewee from Hiroshima who ends S1E7 with a call for regular people to take a stand — where the f were the Japanese public when in the name of their “most revered” emperor countless atrocities were carried out from Nanking to Yangon. 6m+ dead, bayoneting babies, rape harems of Korean women living in bondage. You don’t think soldiers talked of their exploits, that the public had no idea — where was the regular people taking a stand? It doesn’t mean 200-300k people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki deserved nuclear death or worst but it’s not that generation of Japanese who have any right to lecture the rest of the world in morality.

I really enjoyed it. But having the granddaughter of one of the Manhattan project taking blame for it, it’s ridiculous.

Japan killed over 250,000 Chinese in retaliation for the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in 1942. Not enemy combatants, civilians. All as payback for China assisting the escape of the crashed American crews. That was their response to one, small, ineffectual attack. The murder of 250,000. Don’t start a fight you can’t finish.

Wonderful, thank you!

Both seasons are extremely well done and well reported. Compelling takes and very different windows into one of the most significant developments of the 20th century. Both seasons offer interesting prisms on familiar history, especially for Americans.

This podcast is a disgrace to Leo Szilards legacy . He was a brilliant man whose genius greatly benefited our world today. This podcast is a sad, pathetic attempt of a 12 year old girl to revise history and make her grandfather seem like a man who desperately wanted to stop the atomic bomb from being used. Reading between the lines It is obvious that her great grandfather, Leo Szilard was far more interested in getting credit and monetary benefit from his work, rather than “saving the world”. As as soon as he was banned from the Manhattan project, determined to lead and control the project, as well as pushing the government to pay him for his patents, he tries to gain control by other means. The insight of this podcast as well as the presenter seems to be one of a young girl with no experience or perspective, embarrassed by her family’s legacy, trying to rewrite/revise this part of history. She naively holds to this idea that Leo Szilard was building the atomic bomb strictly for defensive purposes. That alone is a ridiculous self deception as in what world would someone build an atomic bomb for defensive purposes. And how could it have any preventative power if the world didn’t believe it existed. She can pretend that we were not at war, the Japan’s commitment to destruction and self preservation was less than it was. Leo Szilards work greatly benefited manking.

This is incredible. Unbelievably information I don’t think I’ve ever heard. I feel bad for Leo Szilard, once he realized it was possible he desperately wanted to keep it for good and it was all taken away and he was left broken. Fuchs is an interesting character

I was a little skeptical about this podcast. I’ve heard others about the Bomb that were boring. This is a great surprise! So fascinating and I had to binge all the episodes within days. Absorbing.

An SJW talking about morality makes me sick when dealing with Imperial Japan - the most ruthless regime ever. Good podcast. Just ignore her fake guilt. It’s sickening.

Both seasons are good but the second season about Klaus Fuchs is outstanding.

Interesting subject but the narrator centers it around her own tangential connection (her grandpa was one of thousands who worked on the atomic project). She is overdramatic and has some really weird generational guilt thing going on. The Japanese are portrayed as total victims without a mention of their hideous treatment of civilians or the opportunities they had to surrender. I find it gross that she says she is happy her grandpa (who she never met and doesn’t have much info on) had a mental break later in life. Very harsh judgment of people who were in a difficult and morally ambiguous situation.

I’m loving this series it’s so good I can’t wait to hear more of it

Stellar story. Well done. Two seasons reveal fascinating history, personalities, spies & politics. Reminds me of the WGN series, “Manhattan.”

Paid for an ad-free subscription but ad free content blocked due to being a non-subscriber! Ripoff. Got a refund from Apple. Avoid BBC Podcasts like the plague.

I throughly enjoyed Season 2 of this podcast. I felt that in Season 1 Emily Strausser demonized her grandfather for his part in bringing about the Atomic Bomb when there were 10’s of thousands of Americans working as part of the overall project. She mentions that she was glad that he suffered for his part but never considers that their demonization of him probably added to his breakdown. There were multi countries working on the bomb at the same time. She also downplays the suffering inflicted by Japan on America while portraying the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as victims of US aggression. She doesn’t include the facts from history that the US gave Japan the opportunity to surrender prior to the bomb being dropped on Hiroshima. Nor does she include the fact that Japan was given 2 days to surrender before dropping the bomb on Nagasaki. If you want to blame anyone….blame the Emperor Japan.

I like history. This has grabbed my attention. I have started on the second season. I have recommended it several times. Those that gave it a listen, love it!!

Both seasons were well crafted and Very informative. Recommended highly.

Fascinating presentation. The storytelling is smooth yet gripping and leaves you wanting for more after each episode

My criticisms are outweighed by value of this historical perspective. If this is the last season, I regret your not doing one more on the Rosenbergs. So hypocritical of Britain to strip Fuchs of citizenship after he spied for Britain. I imagine British officials were glad to see him off to E. Germany before the US got its hands on him and pumped him for information that could have included his spying for Britain against the US. Ron Lare, Detroit

This podcast has both extraordinary production (it sounds great), fine writing, and the host has curious family connections to the making of the atomic bomb. Whether you’re remotely curious about the Cold War, espionage, nuclear weaponry, or just great storytelling, this is an exemplary show.

Urmom is fat

Truly excellent podcast

I wonder if there is going to be the 3rd season (about hydrogen bomb for example)

Thorough dramatic presentation of the US atomic bomb developmment and its theft by the Soviets.

The bomb tells the important history of the atomic bomb, without getting bogged down in all the minutiae that would turn mainstream gen z listeners off. They have done a stellar job of painting a picture of the race for the bomb, the testing and the great lengths that country’s went to gather any information they could about the program, using espionage and lies to get people to buy into their political system and serve the cause. This is great for people who aren’t academics or huge history buffs to learn about the history of the weapon that’s had humanity on a razors edge ever since it’s inception.

My only complaint is I just wish there were a thousand episodes each 4 hours long. I really thank you so much for producing this. I got to visit Oak Ridge and Los Alamos last year as well as the Trinity site plus Einstein’s house in NJ as well as his summer cottage out on Long Island. I then found your podcast and could not listen to it fast enough. I also visited Enrico Fermi’s gravesite in Chicago as well as the site of the Chicago Pile Squash Court (torn down now and I wish they did not do that). Anyway - this podcast is a fantastic learning tool. Thank you!

I love this podcast, I like the quality of it and its tone. It has given me new lights in world politics. If russia was about to join the fight against Japan no wonder there was a rush to develop the bomb and use it. Also the social environment and events that push people Into communist and socialist views is something not always discussed now a days but I think the show does a great job describing what was happening in the 20-30s to fuel this. Also its clear how Russia consistently fumble its politics and its intelligence. What was a health alternative to world politics simply derailed into an authoritarian state

I stumbled on the podcast while listening to NPR in the US. The descriptions of the scenes are vivid, and the story put together in a suspenseful way. As a descendent of an Oxford physicist who worked with Fuchs, it was interesting to hear some of the people who knew him and the other scientists at the time interviewed. Also read my father’s book on this period ‘Nuclear Dawn’ by K.D. McRae.

Very enjoyable podcast from the historical point of view. I love this time period in history and have always been fascinated by the atomic bombs. I appreciate the different angle that this podcast brings to this time period. However, right from the off we see that the point of view taken discounts and even, conveniently, forgets that The Soviet Union was directly responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of its own citizens. So when the ex KGB agent says the Russian spy’s prevented a 3rd world war, prevented the USA from bombing Russia with no retaliation he speaks utter nonsense. If the USA wanted to bomb Russia it would have happened with 2-4 years after the fall of Japan when they knew they had Nuclear superiority. Once the Soviets gained access to the atomic bomb and balanced the power structure between them and USA they had no one to keep them in check while the slaughtered 10+ million of their own citizens. Don’t know why people have started glamorizing and fantasizing about communism/Marxism/socialism but this idea that any of those ideologies is anything but dangerous is a malpractice by the BBC.

This detailed history of the atomic bomb and those who helped develop it, is a great and interesting story of precourser events that led to the world we live in today! Excellent job

I understand that this podcast is designed to investigate and examine history relating to the bomb. Anf I do continue to enjoy it. But the second season needs to be taken with a grain of salt and a healthy dose of skepticism. The second season has a definite pro-Soviet and anti-American bent. The atrocities of the Stalin regime are downplayed while the probable huge number of casualties in an American invasion of Japan (just based on casualty rates from battles across the Pacific) are treated with great skepticism. Again I’m not saying it’s not a worthwhile podcast. But it has a particular political bent, and you should know that going in.

I have enjoyed every episode of this podcast. What I knew about the development of the atomic bomb turns out to have been extremely superficial. In season one, the backstory of the development of the bomb is revealed. Season two reveals more backstory of the bomb’s development, but especially of Russia’s atomic bomb development. To my mind it is a little slow, but that’s because it make sure to provide all relevant details. I highly recommend this podcast.

Amazing to see how when people work together how much they can achieve, but it also goes to show that we cannot and must not trust any government with anything at all times, because in the end it will always be about power and who can wield it

I find it fascinating that this woman wants to give history of the atomic bomb but completely leaves out things like the Asian theater. Or how about Iwo Jima? I have a family member who served there and as much as she would like to pretend the Japanese also committed horrors upon Americans.She likes to speak of what her grandfather did, let me tell you my grandfather suffered horrible PTSD from what the Japanese did to him in Iwo Jima.So this is purely out of convenience so she can perpetuate her narrative. This podcast takes a portion of history completely out of context and analyze it on its own and therefore I find it in accurate. As a person who is close to getting their degree in history I find this podcast just in accurate and honestly a waste of time. In order to study the bomb and it’s a fax correctly you would have to study the entireBattle between Americans and the Japanese.

Fascinating! Very well done and riveting. Highly recommend

My grandfather, Major General Charles C. Noble, was also an important figure in The Manhattan Project (primarily in the years immediately following the war). He also played an integral role in the standing-up of NATO and in the development of tactical nuclear weapons. It is fascinating to hear from the family members of people who were often working on the other side of the coin, so to speak. Great show! I highly recommend it!!!

This podcast goes to great lengths to create an imagined truth of self-aggrandizement, both for the narrator and the subjects. The story is interesting enough, it doesn’t need any more additions from you. Sad they couldn’t just stick to the truth.

I liked the historical accounts in this podcast, but I was frequently distracted by the narrator constantly harkening back to her grandfather’s work on the atomic bomb. It was interesting to hear her connection in the early episodes and served as an explanation for her interest in the topic. However, as the podcast continued, the narrator’s focus on her familial connection started to feel strained and contrived and it just didn’t come off as genuine that this woman, decades later, had such guilt and anguish over work done by a man she never met. It felt forced. The narrator could have explored the ethical dilemma of the bomb and the practical arguments for its use without making the conversation all about her emotions.

Absolutely riveting!!! The fact that the presenters have close family ties to the intrigue adds a special dimension. I learned so very much about this dark part of history. The Manhattan Project has been of interest to me for many years. This podcast pulls back curtains that I never heard about. Many thanks for your hard work!! Rik Prechtl