The Department of Energy revealed Friday that it would vacate a 68-year decision to revoke scientific pioneer J. Robert Oppenheimer's security clearance, The Hill reported.
Oppenheimer, known as the "father of the atomic bomb," directed the Manhattan Project's Los Alamos Laboratory when nuclear weapons were being developed in World War II.
However, his clearance was revoked by the Atomic Energy Commission in the heat of the Red Scare: 1954. The agency cited him as a "security risk," stemming from allegations of disloyalty and sympathy with communism.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the nominal move was made to correct the commission's violation of its own regulations, employing a so-called "flawed process" when it pushed out Oppenheimer.
"As time has passed, more evidence has come to light of the bias and unfairness of the process that Dr. Oppenheimer was subjected to, while the evidence of his loyalty and love of country have only been further affirmed," Granholm stated.
Granholm's decision is primarily due to a 2014 declassification of documents from the era, which raised doubts about Oppenheimer's ideological commitment against the U.S.
In 2017, the Energy Department established the Oppenheimer Science and Energy Leadership Program to support upcoming scientists. It served as a monumental shift in tone for the department and, eventually, a precursor to Friday's decision.
The timing comes a week after a significant development in nuclear fusion energy was announced, with Granholm encouraging the private sector and public research to work together to realize it fully.
"We need the private sector to get in the game," she stressed. "It's really important that there has been this incredible amount of U.S. public dollars going into this breakthrough, but all of the steps that ... will be necessary to get this to commercial level will still require public research and private research."
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