Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-08-07

Her husband became SO self,
effacing she began to call him
anonymous" Then yesterday
flash on the radio and constant calls
from newspaper Offices made his
conduct clear to her. He had been
working on the atomic bomb. r
Even then the wife of Maj. Gen.
Leslie R. Groves did not fully realize
the Importance of her husbands
role in it until her 16-year-old
daughter, Gwen, asked:
Who was in charge of its de-
velopment?"
Your father" answered the re-
porter.
That was in the living room of
their home, 3508 Thirty-sixth street
NV.
On a small table was a photo
graph of a young man in the braided
uniform of a West Point Cadet.
He is 1t. Richard H. Groves who
graduated at the Point in June
and is now taking his advanced
engineering course at Fort Belvoir,
hoping the war will last until he
can get in it. His mother is hoping
against him.
Grace Wilson Groves and her
husband are both Army brats."
She was the daughter of the late
Col. Richard H. Wilson, command
ing officer of the 14th Infantry.
Gen Groves father was regimental
chaplain.
She was aware her husband had
undertaken responsibility three
years ago more secret than any of
the secret assignments of the officer
husbands of her friends.
She had no idea he had spent
almost $4,000, 000, 900.
She had never heard of Richard
G. Tolman, or Sir James Chadwick,
the physicists from the California
Institute of Technology and Liver
pool University. respectively, with
whom her husband was associated.
She did not know her husband
had been reporting only to Gen.
George C. Marshall. Chief of Staff,
and Secretary of War Stimson.
She did know that the last three
years of even harder work than
usual had set her husband back.
To do the job he had given up
dieting. He tired too easily when
cutting down on the calories.
Hes quite bit overweight now"
said Mrs. Groves, land he doesn't
like that"
The War Department issued
statement on Gen. Groves career. It
credited him with the responsibility
of making hairline decisions which
could spell success or disaster. He
had to coordinate manufacturing
processes and designs that were en-
tirely new. He had to conciliate
and compromise various scientific,
engineering and construction view
points and differences. And he had
to see that the secret was kept.
He admits now that some of the
scientific decisions he had to make
extended much. further than he
would have liked, but it was his re-
sponsibility to make them.
At irregular intervals Gen. Groves
and Secretary Stimson made formal
reports to President Roosevelt, who
took a great personal interest in the
progress of the atomic experiment,
the War Department said.
Details Split Up for Secrecy.
Gen. Groves has personal letter
from the late President stressing
the Importance of the project and
celebrating on his wish that it be
developed with the greatest secur-
ity and secrecy.
The security program developed
by Gen. Groves was based on that
letter. Gen. Groves SO divided the
construction, operational and pro-
duction phases of the venture that
only a few persons ever knew its full
and complete implications or OBJ
jectives.
The War Departments announce
ment paid him this tribute:
I'm all this-a venture in which
the pressure of time was forever a
factor-he had at his command the
vast funds and resources Of the
United States, the most brilliant
scientific and engineering minds
available in this country and the
best talent In all lines of endeavor
needed for the success Of the project,
but it was he who juggled the pieces
and fitted them into their proper
places"
Germans on Problem.
Gen. Groves explains ut was the
taking Of calculated risks which
paid on"
I'VE knew there were definite
and narrow chances throughout the
entire program he said, "and while
We did not know just when success
would come, we knew 1t was worth
doing, particularly after our intelli-
gence learned the Germans we're
making efforts to solve the problem
how extensive we were unable to-
learn"
Actually, the War Department.
said, many millions had been spent
on one phase of the atomic bomb