Press Play with Madeleine Brand

America built the atom bomb in enormous, secret cities

Building atom bombs was a feat rivaling the science behind them. The Manhattan Project oversaw hundreds of thousands of workers in cities that technically didn’t exist.

By Madeleine Brand • Sep 2, 2025 • 1 min read

Building atom bombs was a feat rivaling the science behind them. The Manhattan Project oversaw hundreds of thousands of workers in cities that technically didn’t exist.

Madeleine Brand
Host, 'Press Play'
Sarah Sweeney
Vice President of Talk Programming, KCRW
Angie Perrin
Producer, Press Play
Amy Ta
Digital News & Culture Editor
Garrett Graff
author of “The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb”

Press Play with Madeleine Brand

America built the atom bomb in enormous, secret cities

Building atom bombs was a feat rivaling the science behind them. The Manhattan Project oversaw hundreds of thousands of workers in cities that technically didn’t exist.

Share

Press Play with Madeleine Brand

America built the atom bomb in enormous, secret cities

Building atom bombs was a feat rivaling the science behind them. The Manhattan Project oversaw hundreds of thousands of workers in cities that technically didn’t exist.

Share