Topic+17+(Hanford)

Hanford
Hanford, Washington, officially known as Site W, was the site of all the plutonium production for the Manhattan Project. Gen. Groves selected Hanford for the production of plutonium due to its location. Plutonium was known to be a dangerous element, producible only in a nuclear reactor. Oak Ridge was not suited to this job because reactors were thought to be incredibly dangerous, and Oak Ridge was located to close to a major city to be safe. Thus, Groves decided on Hanford as the best possible location. (Sullivan 36)

Its construction and work presented the same challenges as at Oak Ridge; intense security, and a general lack of knowledge on the part of the workers plagued Hanford from start to finish. In the end, Hanford was able to produce enough plutonium for both a test bomb and a weapon.