Statement by the President on the Death of Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer.

I AM greatly saddened by Dr. Oppenheimer's death.

America knew him best, of course, as the technical leader of the great wartime effort which led to the successful development of the atomic bomb. From the work he directed, there has resulted not only the nuclear might on which our security rests, but also the great flood of peaceful applications of atomic energy which we are now learning how to use fully for mankind's benefit. He well deserved the Enrico Fermi Award, presented to him in 1963 for these outstanding contributions.

Dr. Oppenheimer was not only a great scientist, but a great humanitarian. He understood fully the implications of his work and did what he could to assure that the world would be a better place in which to live. The world will miss his genius.