The Girls of Atomic City, The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kiernan
What are the odds today of the Federal government funding, constructing, and populating a secret city of 75,000 people without the general public knowing about it or its top secret mission?
But in 1942 it was possible, and it was called Clinton Engineer Works (CEW), located in what is now known as Oak Ridge, TN. The operation was The Manhattan Project.
Between the Fall of 1942 and early 1943, the U.S. government seized 56,000 acres in East Tennessee or 92 square miles for three plants devoted to processing uranium, referred to at CEW as “tubealloy” or the “Product,” for the atomic bomb. When completed, one of the plants K-25 would be the largest building in the world.
And who would staff these enormous facilities? Principally “girls.”
In 1943, there was a shortage of male workers as most young men were in the armed services. So out of necessity, the government turned to women.
But due to its super secret mission, recruiting workers to CEW was more of a challenge than for other wartime factories.
Job descriptions were vague, and the location of the work site was almost never mentioned. So it took a leap of faith on the part of the job applicant. As it turned out, thousands of women took the leap.
They came for different reasons, to get away from home, for the adventure, to help the war effort, or the generous pay. Most were barely out of high school, and it was their first time away from home. From Iowa to Alabama, these young women boarded trains to an undisclosed destination.
And despite what hesitation the military may have had about these girls handling sophisticated equipment and dangerous materials, they got the job done.
In one experiment, management set up a production contest (unbeknownst to the participants) pitting the scientists against the “farm girls.” Operating the same equipment in different locations, the girls output handily exceeded that of the PhDs. The head scientist was surprised at the outcome. The military man who recruited and trained the girls was not.
In organizing the book, Kiernan alternates the stories of nine women with the broader history of the Manhattan Project.
The book is a bit choppy but enjoyable nonetheless. Kiernan offers a fresh perspective on a remarkable almost surreal slice of American history.
WHO WROTE IT
Denise Kiernan is the author of Signing Their Lives Away and Signing Their Rights Away. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and other national publications.
WHAT OTHER REVIEWERS SAY
Atlanta Journal Constitution: “Kiernan’s book, the result of seven years of research and interviews with the surviving ‘girls,’ sparkles with their bright WWII slang and spirit, and takes readers behind the scenes into the hive-like encampments and cubicles where they spent their days and nights….The Girls of Atomic City brings to light a forgotten chapter in our history that combines a vivid, novelistic story with often troubling science. “