Now a classified Heritage Series talk
As a young graduate student from the University of Chicago, Harold Agnew came to Los Alamos in 1943, joining the former Experimental Physics (P) Division as part of Project Y, the nation’s crash program to build the first atomic weapon.
Agnew participated in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, flying as a scientific member of the 509th Bombardment Group on the first atomic strike mission.
Now in his mid 80s, Agnew returns to the Laboratory on Thursday to give a Heritage Lecture talk about his Manhattan Project-era experiences, including his work at wartime Los Alamos. The talk begins at 1:30 p.m., in the Administration Building Auditorium. The talk is classified as secret/restricted data and no foreign nationals may attend. It is open to Q-cleared badge holders (current sigmas 1-10 required).
In addition to discussing his Project Y experiences, Agnew will outline the roles of Los Alamos luminaries, including J. Robert Oppenheimer, the first Laboratory director; Edward Teller; and many others. Attendees are encouraged to participate in a question-and-answer session after the lecture.
Before Agnew came to Los Alamos, he worked with Enrico Fermi at the University of Chicago. He was part of Fermi’s team that completed the world’s first self-sustaining chain reaction beneath the stands of the football stadium at the school. The success of the experiment confirmed the feasibility of producing an atomic bomb, just as the Manhattan Project was gaining momentum.
After completing his graduate work under Fermi, Agnew returned to Los Alamos in August 1949. He was elected State Senator for New Mexico in 1955, and in 1961 became science adviser to the NATO supreme allied commander in Europe. He returned to Los Alamos in 1964 to head the former Weapon Nuclear Engineering Division, and six years later, in 1970, Agnew became Los Alamos’ third director. He served as director until 1979 and became an associate staff member in 1989, a title he still holds.
Upon leaving Los Alamos, Agnew headed Gulf General Atomics in San Diego, a nuclear reactor builder.
In 2001, Agnew was the first recipient – along with Hans Bethe – of the Los Alamos Medal, the highest honor the Laboratory can bestow on an individual or small group.
In 2003, Agnew received the University of California Presidential Medal, the highest award bestowed by UC, during a ceremony at the Laboratory. A commendation accompanying the UC medal described Agnew as an "internationally renowned authority on nuclear security and power" who "guided the Laboratory with extraordinary vision and a firm purpose of commitment as it expanded the frontiers of scientific discovery and achievement."
The Heritage Series talk is funded by the Director's Office.
For more information, contact Alan Carr of Records Management, Media Services and Operations (IRM-RMMSO) at 4-0870 or abcarr@lanl.gov by electronic mail.
