Historic DS signed “J. Robert Oppenheimer,” one page, 8 x 10.5, May 8, 1946. Official agreement letter from Oppenheimer to Loew’s Incorporated, authorizing and commenting on the first film based on the Manhattan Project. In full: “In connection with the motion picture you are about to produce concerning the Atomic Bomb Project and its ramifications, tentatively called THE BEGINNING OR THE END, I now authorize you to depict me by name as a character in this motion picture and to use my name in connection therewith, my impersonation to be by an actor selected by you. I understand that although you will attempt to show the historical facts with accuracy, you will, however, have to dramatize your motion picture story, and I have no objections thereto, and you may rely on my personal irrevocable consent to proceed. I am signing this agreement subject to my receipt of a statement from Mr. Sam Marx that he believes that changes made in the script since I had occasion to examine it on April 20, 1946, will adequately correct the points which were of chief concern to me. In the absence of such a statement, this waiver is not binding.” The lower half of sheet bears the watermark of "Cornell University," where, in the spring of 1946, Oppenheimer delivered a series of six lectures on atomic energy. Signed neatly at the conclusion in black ink by Oppenheimer. In fine condition.
Deemed by MGM studio chief Louis B. Mayer as ‘the most important story’ he would ever film, The Beginning or the End was a 1947 big-budget documentary-drama of the Manhattan Project and the invention and use of the atomic bomb during World War II. Given the secret nature of the bomb’s construction, and the limited special effects of the time, the film encountered several logistical restraints, foremost being the handling of the script, which was supervised by both the White House and Pentagon.
As the contract infers, Oppenheimer was given early access to the film’s early drafts. His requested changes, or “points which were of chief concern,” were forwarded to the film’s writers, a group that included philosopher Ayn Rand. In addition to Oppenheimer, several experts from Oak Ridge and Los Alamos acted as technical advisors on the film, including Leslie Groves, who was hired as a primary consultant after MGM won White House approval for the project.
When Samuel Marx of MGM met with President Harry S. Truman to secure his approval, Truman remarked: ‘Gentlemen, make a motion picture. Tell the people of this nation that for them it is the beginning or the end,’ a phrase that was ultimately used as the film’s title. Despite lackluster reviews and box office returns, The Beginning or the End holds the distinction of being the first film to depict the story of the atomic bomb for a mass audience eager to process the novel Atomic Age. A superlative Oppenheimer document with historic atomic bomb-related content, dated mere months after the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
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