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Jonathan's avatar

Well in respect of anti-semitism in the US. I recently read the Oppenheimer biography on which the recent film was based on. It describes the central element of Jewish scientists (but also many other nationalities) in the development of the A bomb, at least in part because of the realisation of the danger of Nazis Germany winning WW2, and a growing awareness of the Holocaust. In the book one can see a lot of anti-semitism against jewish academics in US universities prewar. At the same time increasing anti-communism (and many jewish academics were also left leaning, like Oppenheimer), and distrust of them in the context of USSR espionage. So whilst the anti-semitism declined post war, it also partially transformed into rapid anti-communism (lead by Hoover and the FBI). Ironically driving jewish scientists like Einstein etc. out of Germany was probably one contributor to Germany failing in its A bomb project.

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Fred Smoler's avatar

I think James Chaney was a Roman Catholic.

Fred Smoler

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