The Girls of Atomic City

Secrecy is central to the Project and, as such, is one of the book’s key themes. The General believes that “compartmentalization—compartmentalization of knowledge, of responsibility, of information—[is] the ‘heart of security’” and that “Each man should know everything he [needs] to know to do his job and nothing else” (152). This means that, assuming they pass the screening and security tests, workers are only given the most essential training, with no unnecessary knowledge of the overall project. To inquire deeper into one’s role is to invite reprimand or even dismissal, even “the most innocuous questions” (4) can raise suspicion. Propaganda posters throughout the site suggest that “if you [speak] out of turn, you [are] not only un-American, you [are] responsible for the senseless murder of troops” or that “if you [dare] inquire too closely about your job, you [are] endangering the lives of innocent children, damning democracy, and joining the ranks of Hitler and Hirohito” (165). Such propaganda is only strategy the state uses to maintain the site’s secretive atmosphere, in addition to censorship and informants operating within the Reservation in undisclosed numbers. Some find that the “heightened restrictions also [offer] a sense of security […] [and] a sense that someone might not just be watching you, but watching out for you, as well” (163), but for many it is a source of stress and