Background
General Leslie Groves, head of the Manhattan Engineer District, in late 1944 commissioned a multi-volume history of the Manhattan Project called the Manhattan District History. Prepared by multiple authors under the general editorship of Gavin Hadden, a longtime civil employee of the Army Corps of Engineers, the classified history was “intended to describe, in simple terms, easily understood by the average reader, just what the Manhattan District did, and how, when, and where.” The volumes record the Manhattan Project’s activities and achievements in research, design, construction, operation, and administration, assembling a vast amount of information in a systematic, readily available form. The Manhattan District History contains extensive annotations, statistical tables, charts, engineering drawings, maps, photographs, and detailed indices. Only a handful of copies of the history were prepared. The Department of Energy’s Office of History and Heritage Resources is custodian of one of these copies.
The history is arranged in thirty-six volumes grouped in eight books. Some of the volumes were further divided into stand-alone chapters. Several of the volumes and stand-alone chapters were never security classified. Many of the volumes and chapters were declassified at various times and were available to the public on microfilm. Approximately a third of the volumes, or parts of volumes, remain classified.
The Office of Classification and the Office of History and Heritage Resources, in collaboration with the Department’s Office of Science and Technical Information, have committed to making available full-text on this OpenNet website the entire thirty-six volume Manhattan District History. Unclassified and declassified volumes will be scanned and posted as available. Classified volumes will be declassified with redactions, i.e., still classified terms, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs will be removed and the remaining unclassified parts made available to the public. The volumes will be posted incrementally as review and processing is completed.
Following is a listing of the books, volumes, and stand-alone chapters of the Manhattan District History. Links to pdf copies are provided for those volumes and chapters that currently are available.
Document Archive
[ 13,904 Pages Total ]
Book I General
Volume 1 – General Appendix E; General Index
Volumes 2 and 3 were not prepared by the Manhattan Engineer District
Volume 4 – Auxiliary Activities
Chapter 1 – Legislative Contacts of Manhattan District
Chapter 6 – Investigation of the After Effects of the Bombing in Japan
Chapter 8 – Press Releases – Part 1
Chapter 8 – Press Releases – Part 2
Chapter 12 – Activities of the National Bureau of Standards
Chapter 13 – Preparation and Publication of the Smyth Report
Chapter 14 – Investigation of Miscellaneous Processes of Separation of Uranium Isotopes
Volume 5 – Fiscal Procedures Appendices
Volume 6 – Insurance Program and Supplement
Volume 7 – Medical Program Supplement
Volume 10 – Land Acquisition CEW
Volume 10 – Land Acquisition CEW Appendices
Volume 11 – Safety Program Appendix G
Volume 12 – Clinton Engineer Work – Central Facilities
Volume 12 – Clinton Engineer Work – Central Facilities Appendices A, B, & C
Volume 12 – Clinton Engineer Work – Central Facilities Appendices D
Volume 14 – Intelligence & Security
Volume 14 – Intelligence & Security- Supplement (w/Appendices)
Volume 14 – Intelligence & Security – Foreign Intelligence Supplement No. 1
Volume 14 – Intelligence & Security – Foreign Intelligence Supplements Nos. 2 & 3
Volume 14 – Intelligence & Security – Top Secret Appendix to Supplement
Book II Gaseous Diffusion (K-25) Project
Volume 5 – Operations – Supplement No. 1
Volume 5 – Operations – Appendix
Book IV Pile Project X-10
Volume 2 – Research Part I – Metallurgical Laboratory
Volume 2 – Research Part II – Clinton Laboratories
Volume 2 – Research Part II – Clinton Laboratories – Top Secret Appendix
Volume 3 – Design Appendices A, B, C, D
Volume 4 – Land Acquisition, HEW
Volume 4 – Land Acquisition, HEW Appendices A, B, C, D, E
Volume 5 – Construction – Appendix A
Volume 5 – Construction – Appendices B, C, D, & E
Volume 6 – Operations – Appendix A
Volume 6 – Operations – Appendices B, C, D, E
Volume 6 – Operations – Top Secret Appendix
Book V Electromagnetic Project
Book VI Liquid Thermal Diffusion (S-50) Project – Secret Supplement
Book VII Feed Materials, Special Procurement, and Geographical Exploration
Volume 1 – Feed Materials and Special Procurement
Volume 2 – Geographical Exploration
Book VIII Los Alamos Project (Y)
Volume 1 – General Appendices A, B, C, D
Volume 1 – General Appendices E, F
Volume 2 – Technical Supplement
Volume 3 – Auxiliary Activities
Chapter 1 – Los Angeles Procurement Office
Chapter 3 – Activities of Ohio State University Cryogenic Laboratory
Chapter 5 and 6 – Navy Participation (Ch. 5) and Sandia (Ch. 6)
Chapter 8 – Operation Crossroads
Chapter 9 – Supplementary Activities
History of the Activities of the Manhattan District Research