elision
Have that dry-cleaned.Oppenheimer · 2023 — Chapter 9 of 28 · 3'47" · C1
Groves Offers Oppenheimer the Job, Explained: point taken
Groves recruits Oppenheimer by listing every bad thing ever said about him, then they get into a fight about security and trust. Oppenheimer gives no ground: "I don't take anything on trust," and insists it is his job to say no. He ends with the line that wins the post.
What happens
Colonel Groves meets Oppenheimer and offers him the job of project director. He runs through the bad reports first, from dilettante to suspected Communist, and the two argue about security versus speed. Oppenheimer refuses to give ground, then closes with a joke about not being able to run a hamburger stand.
Listen for
put in chargesmart asstaken for grantedpoint taken
00:00 / 03:47Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
point taken
明白了；你这一点我接受（但未必同意）
奥本海默听完格罗夫斯关于安全与效率的提醒，先认下这一点，紧接着用 but, no 表明依然拒绝。
Point taken, but I still think we should wait.
Also in this scene
- put in charge
让某人负责、掌管某事
- smart ass
自作聪明的人；爱耍贫嘴的人
- taken for granted
被当作理所当然；因而不受重视
Everything marked in this scene
21 notes across 81 lines
The brass likes it so much they made me take over the Manhattan Engineer District.Oh, don't be a smart ass. You know damn well what it is.liaison
Oh, don't be a smart ass. You know damn well what it is.Oh, don't be a smart ass. You know damn well what it is.And my name came up?Well, brilliance is taken for granted in your circle, so no.relative clause with who
but he also strikes me as a guy who knows more about science than people.Yet here you are. You don't take much on trust.Why don't you have a Nobel Prize?You're talking about turning theory into a practical weapons system faster than the Nazis.turn into
You're talking about turning theory into a practical weapons system faster than the Nazis.The man they've undoubtedly put in charge will have made that leap instantly.In a straight race, the Germans win.Our one hope is that Hitler is so... so blinded by hate that he's denied Heisenberg proper resources,so that
Our one hope is that Hitler is so... so blinded by hate that he's denied Heisenberg proper resources,infinitive of purpose
All minds have to see the whole task to contribute efficiently.Remind me, who are we at war with?Point taken. But, no.flap
Point taken. But, no.You don't get to say "no" to me.Groves Offers Oppenheimer the Job, explained
What's really going on
The scene is a job interview built on insults, and both men know it. Groves says the worst things he has heard, not to reject Oppenheimer but to see how he takes it; the answer he likes is steadiness, not charm. Oppenheimer gives it. He will not accept the framing that his past disqualifies him, and he will not trade a little risk for a lot of delay. The disagreement about compartmentalization is the heart of it: one side wants secrecy, the other wants the whole problem visible to everyone who has to solve it. When Oppenheimer says, "It's my job to say 'no' to you when you're wrong," he is doing more than arguing — he is defining the partnership. The closing joke about the hamburger stand is the same move, and the last line seals it: "But I can run the Manhattan Project."
Theme
PowerGroves tests whether a risky scientist can be trusted with the most powerful project in the world.
TrustThe argument over secrecy and open work becomes the real negotiation between the two men.
Listen for
- dry-cleaned — elision
- smart ass — liaison
- Point taken — flap
Oh, don't be a smart ass. You know damn well what it is.Groves's blunt way of telling Oppenheimer to stop playing dumb about the Manhattan District.
Yet here you are. You don't take much on trust.His observation that Oppenheimer keeps testing and doubting, even about the offer on the table.
In a straight race, the Germans win.The bleak assessment that Germany has the better position if the two sides simply race.
It's my job to say "no" to you when you're wrong.Oppenheimer defining the partnership before he even accepts it, claiming the right to push back.
But I can run the Manhattan Project.The line that answers the joke about him and wins him the job.
Questions about this scene
Why does Groves list Oppenheimer's flaws?
He is testing him. By naming the worst reports, from dilettante to suspected Communist, he wants to see whether Oppenheimer stays steady, and Oppenheimer does.
What do they argue about?
Security versus efficiency. Groves favors compartmentalization so that a leak cannot reveal the whole project, while Oppenheimer insists everyone must see the whole task to work well.
What does 'I don't take anything on trust' mean?
Oppenheimer means he does not accept claims without evidence. It is his answer to Groves's needling and a statement of how he will work if he takes the job.
How does the scene end?
Oppenheimer jokes that he cannot run a hamburger stand, then turns it around: he is still the man who can run the Manhattan Project, which is why the job becomes his.
Oppenheimer · 28 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 10a point of no returnOppenheimer Asks Einstein About Doomsday
Chapter 1leaves a little to be desiredBohr Sends Oppenheimer to Göttingen
Chapter 2the man for the jobStrauss Offers Oppenheimer a Job
Chapter 3seek outRabi Meets Oppenheimer on a Train
Chapter 4a vicious cycleOppenheimer Starts His Quantum Seminar
Chapter 5wiggle roomPolitical Debate at a Party
Chapter 6wring your neckOppenheimer Names Los Alamos
Chapter 7from moneyOppenheimer Explains Empty Space
Chapter 8herd intoLawrence Shuts Down the Union
Watching · Chapter 9point takenGroves Offers Oppenheimer the Job
Chapter 10a point of no returnOppenheimer Asks Einstein About Doomsday
Chapter 11pass onChevalier Suggests Passing Secrets
Chapter 12the business at handTeller Pitches the H-Bomb
Chapter 13Thanks for nothingCondon Quits Los Alamos
Chapter 14drop in and outOppenheimer's Last Night With Jean
Chapter 15a cock-and-bull storyOppenheimer's Cock-and-Bull Story
Chapter 16took a wrong turnBohr Warns of the Aftermath
Chapter 17go down this roadThe GAC Debates the H-Bomb
Chapter 18a lot of latitudeThe Target Committee Debates the Bomb
Chapter 19gallows humorWaiting Out the Storm at Trinity
Chapter 20blood on my handsOppenheimer Meets President Truman
Chapter 21A man of convictionThe Fuchs Spy Case Comes Up
Chapter 22curse the name ofOppenheimer Refuses the Super Bomb
Chapter 23how the game is playedPlanning Oppenheimer's Downfall
Chapter 24MermaidsRabi Defends Oppenheimer
Chapter 25cuts both waysBorden Reads the Accusation Letter
Chapter 26made mincemeat out ofHill Blames Strauss at the Hearing
Chapter 27Haven't the slightest ideaKitty Testifies Before the Board
Chapter 28moral scruplesOppenheimer Is Cross-ExaminedChapter 9 of 28 · about 50 min to go