Lewis Strauss is a name likely familiar to those who didn't sleep through high school history class. A complex man with an equally interesting story, Strauss is best remembered as being Oppenheimer's number-one hater. To understand his animosity towards Oppenheimer, it's important to go all the way back to Strauss' early days as a public servant and businessman.
Per the Atomic Heritage Foundation, the Charleston-born Strauss first worked under Herbert Hoover during the future president's tenure as the head of the United States Food Administration. After becoming a self-made millionaire, Strauss' life drastically changed as America involved itself in World War II. The Navy came calling, with Strauss joining their Department of Ordnance to work on weapons production. Soon after, President Truman (played by Gary Oldman in "Oppenheimer") named Strauss as a member of the Atomic Energy Commission.
During his team as an ACE member — he would later go on to become commissioner, Strauss was a key voice in shaping nuclear weapons. He was particularly obsessed with the creation of the hydrogen bomb. The Courrier Mail of Brisbane, Australia described the bomb as Strauss' "baby." Who was against the hydrogen bomb? Mr. Oppenheimer. The United States government ultimately tested the bomb, dubbed "Ivy Mike" in 1952.
