9320369 Goldberg Ever since World War II, the United States has endeavored to find a "quick scientific fix" for the problems confronting this nation. Previously, it was the "War on Cancer" that would find a cure within a relatively short period of time. Currently, activists are calling for a "Manhattan Project" for AIDS to find an immediate cure for that dreaded disease. When these projects fail, the public which has been led to foot the massive costs of these "Manhattan-like" projects rightly becomes skeptical of science-- even if it is the case that it was the politicians who cynically made these promises. Given these problems, it is critically important for the public to understand why and how the Manhattan Project succeeded and how current projects may or may not fit the model that that war-time effort presents. It is this task which Dr. Goldberg is continuing with this grant. Dr. Goldberg is completing his study of General Leslie R. Groves, Commanding General of the Manhattan Engineer District. Dr. Goldberg aims to provide a context of understanding who General Groves was, why he was picked to head the atomic bomb project, and the characteristics that made his administration of the project so effective. He is also exploring the reasons why these very same characteristics served him so poorly after the war. Most treatments of the Manhattan Project focus on the technical puzzles which were solved in record time or on the impact of the development of the bomb on end-of-the-war and post-war diplomatic history. By examining the Manhattan Project in the context of a study of General Groves, one is immediately confronted with the need to assess his philosophy of organization and the importance to the success of the project of Groves' administrative style and the administrative machinery he created. ***
