On August 13, the Washington Post published an editorial calling for the establishment of a Manhattan Project National Historical Park at Los Alamos, NM; Oak Ridge, TN; and Hanford, WA. The editorial praises the bipartisan legislation that would create the Park. The piece calls the Park “a fine idea,” explaining, “Given their importance in the histories of the United States, the Cold War and the 20th century, Congress should pass the park designation bill by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) and companion legislation by Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.).”
Given the debate over the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan, the editorial notes the importance of presenting all sides of the complex history and creating non-judgmental exhibits. The National Park Service’s significant experience with interpreting controversial events and places, such as the Japanese internment camps at Manzanar, will inform their development of the exhibits and interpretation of the Manhattan Project sites. As the editorial concludes, “[The Manhattan Project] encompasses a seminal moment in world history, one that surely warrants the wider audience this legislative push would bring.”