Christopher Nolan’s thriller/historical drama from 2023, Oppenheimer, is a based-on-real-events story, and be it Cillian Murphy’s J. Robert Oppenheimer in the lead role or Gary Oldman’s President Harry Truman in a supporting one — everyone made sure to make it seem as realistic as possible.
But what if some of the scenes from the film never really happened in the first place?
As it turns out, it seems like one of the most iconic scenes in the entire movie as Truman just may have stemmed from a figment of Nolan’s imagination. Or, to be more precise, it may have never happened in the first place the way it was depicted, and the filmmaker just may have improvised it.
Why? Well, simply put: Because historical accounts recall it somewhat differently.
Gary Oldman’s Iconic Oppenheimer Moment May Have Never Existed for Real
As the uncountable nominations and wins of major accolades and critically approved ratings and reviews from significant sites speak volumes about it, Oppenheimer was indeed one of the most cinematic pieces ever created in the history of entertainment.
If anything, it has to be one of the best projects ever helmed by Christopher Nolan.
That said, it also holds some of the most iconic moments ever created that will forever leave an indelible mark on its viewers.
However, it seems like not all of those notable moments actually happened back in time — especially Gary Oldman‘s most iconic moment as President Harry Truman.
For those unversed, in the 2023 masterpiece, there is a scene where, over two and a half months after the nuclear bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Cillian Murphy‘s Father of the Atomic Bomb expressed his guilt to Truman.
This scene showed the two people — the mastermind who built the bombs and the mastermind who dropped them — meet for the first time, in the Oval Office and had Murphy’s character candidly confessing to Truman:
Mr. President, I feel I have blood on my hands.
Now, while that scene is indeed cited as a true recalling of the events that happened in history, what happened next regarding Oldman’s Truman’s reaction to this blunt guilt-confession is where the conflict lies.
According to what is shown in the movie, Oldman’s character apparently tackles this eminent moment by doing nothing more than brandishing his handkerchief and handing it over to the man who built the bombs with a mocking pout on his face.
Moreover, this scene goes on to show that after the pair’s meeting ends, Oldman as President Harry Truman can be heard defining the Father of the Atomic Bomb as a “crybaby” to, presumably, one of the people aiding him by his side.
However, when it comes to the real historical accounts of this very specific moment, things actually turned out a lot differently than what was shown.
Historical Accounts Recall This Event Differently
As per the coverage of this matter by SFGATE, Robert’s biographers have shared in the biography American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer how this very event that followed Robert’s guilt-confession has been told differently by Truman over time.
According to what the book states, claiming “Truman embellished the story” over the years:
By one account, he replied, ‘Never mind, it’ll all come out in the wash.’ In yet another version, he pulled his handkerchief from his breast pocket and offered it to Oppenheimer, saying, ‘Well, here, would you like to wipe your hands?’
Then there’s the response that the President is alleged to have said to his colleague, which stated him as having said, “I told him the blood was on my hands — to let me worry about that.”
However, according to SFGATE, this event apparently unfolded differently than either of the above, as Truman is reported as instead having “stood up to signal the meeting was over,” with the Father of the Atomic Bomb leaving, deflated.
This was reportedly followed by Truman ostensibly saying afterward:
Blood on his hands, dammit, he hasn’t half as much blood on his hands as I have. You just don’t go around bellyaching about it.
Plus, in a letter he wrote next year to Secretary of State Dean Acheson, President Harry Truman seems to have referred to Robert as a “cry-baby scientist.”
All in all, judging from all of these reports, it most certainly sounds like the version we say onscreen was actually taken from a figment of Nolan’s imagination. But, for whatever it’s worth, he at least got the “crybaby” part right on point!
You can watch Oppenheimer on Peacock.
