Oppenheimer: Who was Lewis Strauss played by Robert Downey Jr’s | Explained

In Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr. delivers a brilliant performance as Lewis Strauss, a former member of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) in 1946. The post-World War II era witnessed intense animosity between Strauss, the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), and renowned scientist J Robert Oppenheimer. Strauss, in his real-life role as Oppenheimer’s nemesis, seemingly went to great lengths to undermine the scientist’s career.

About Lewis Strauss

Born in January 31, 1896, Lewis Strauss was an American businessman, philanthropist, and naval officer. He was one of the original members of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) in 1946, and in the 1950s he served as the commission’s chairman. Strauss was a major figure in the development of nuclear weapons after World War II, nuclear energy policy, and nuclear power in the United States.

Lewis Strauss was raised in Richmond, Virginia, Strauss became an assistant to Herbert Hoover as part of the Commission for Relief in Belgium during World War I and the American Relief Administration after it. Strauss then worked as an investment banker at Kuhn, Loeb & Co. during the 1920s and 1930s, where he amassed considerable wealth. As a member of the executive committee of the American Jewish Committee and several other Jewish organizations in the 1930s, Strauss made several attempts to change U.S. policy in order to accept more refugees from Nazi Germany but was unsuccessful. He also came to know and fund some of the research of refugee, nuclear physicist Leo Szilard. During World War II Strauss served as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve and rose to the rank of rear admiral due to his work in the Bureau of Ordnance in managing and rewarding plants engaged in production of munitions.

Why did Lewis Strauss and Oppenheimer have a clash?

In Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer we noticed that there was a clash between the two. According to reports, Strauss believed Oppenheimer had spoken ill of him during a conversation with the renowned physicist Albert Einstein, which intensified his animosity. Strauss’s actions, such as having Oppenheimer under surveillance through illegal wiretappings, reveal a multi-layered character grappling with conflicting notions of patriotism and personal ambition.

Both Oppenheimer’s and Lewis Strauss’ views clashed regarding nuclear weapons. Strauss even suspected Oppenheimer of being a communist and leaking sensitive information to the Soviet Union. According to reports, there was news that Oppenheimer had once publicly humiliated Strauss for selling radioisotopes to foreign countries.

(With added inputs from agencies)