When Oppenheimer meets Truman, he is nonetheless shaken by the physique rely of his creation. Truman, although, is genial and boastful about having bombed Hiroshima — he is forgotten about Nagasaki altogether. Oppenheimer turns the subject to the Soviets, however Truman, with prideful ignorance, declares that Russia won’t ever have a nuclear bomb. His temper solely sharpens when Oppenheimer suggests giving Los Alamos again to its indigenous inhabitants. No, the U.S. army will preserve the lab lively to shepherd additional weapons improvement.
Oppenheimer lastly admits that he has blood on his fingers and Truman’s contempt explodes. He waves a handkerchief in Oppie’s face, calling his remorse out as conceitedness — the Japanese solely care about he who dropped the bomb, the Commander-in-Chief declares. “Oppenheimer” was shot in IMAX, however Nolan’s alternating close-ups of Murphy’s and Oldman’s faces really feel as confined as a 4:3 body and lure the viewers within the discomfort of the dialog.
Oppenheimer is escorted out of the Oval Workplace and overhears Truman ordering that the “crybaby” by no means be allowed in his presence once more. In real life, Truman actually called him a “f***ing cretin.”
Now, some may be glad that Oppenheimer receives no sympathy; hundreds died due to his creation, so his regrets can solely really feel like crocodile tears. Nonetheless, Truman’s response suggests an unflattering fact about him, one which’s opposite to the mythmaking of his legacy.