1966 Phil Abelson Interview

This is an interview of Dr Philip Abelson on 5/13/1966. 1 hr 16 min in length.

The interview is part of the Voices of the Manhattan Project by the Atomic Heritage Foundation.

Dr. Philip Abelson was a physicist on the path to discovering fission when Otto Hahn and Lisa Meitner discovered this process first. Abelson worked at the Navy Research Laboratory in Philadelphia, where he designed pipes to enrich uranium. He discusses how he was also the first in the United States to manufacture large quantities of uranium hexafluoride. Abelson’s technology was reviewed by General Leslie R. Groves, Edward Teller, and J. Robert Oppenheimer. His research led to the rapid construction of the S-50 Plant in Oak Ridge, the liquid thermal diffusion plant. He recalls the challenges of designing pipes for uranium enrichment.

Audio of the interview is available from https://ahf.nuclearmuseum.org/voices/oral-histories/philip-abelsons-interview-1966/