In their research, the History Detectives team uncovered the fascinating story behind this collection of documents, illuminating a pivotal moment of American history. The archive, which contains typed and handwritten documents connected with the top-secret Manhattan Project, includes a letter written after the war by project scientists pleading for reduced secrecy regarding nuclear affairs in the scientific community once hostilities had ended. Where did the documents come from? Did the scientists’ letter help persuade President Harry S. Truman to change America’s nuclear policy in the post-war era? Host Wes Cowan leads the History Detectives to track down the authors of the documents, and to explore the delicate balance between science, military power and democracy.

Visit this page to see a slideshow of select documents from the Manhattan Project Archive:
http://www.gilderlehrman.org/collection/online/manhattan/index.html

Visit this page to see more featured documents related to the Manhattan Project:
http://www.gilderlehrman.org/collection/docs_archive/docs_archive_Manhattan.html

Co-produced by Lion Television (UK) and Oregon Public Broadcasting, the series combines the latest forensic technology with old-fashioned, pavement-pounding detective work. Again hosted by four inquisitive fact-finders, History Detectives features Wes Cowan, independent appraiser and auctioneer; Elyse Luray, an independent appraiser and expert in art history; Gwendolyn Wright, professor of architecture, Columbia University; and Tukufu Zuberi, professor of sociology and the director of the Center for Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Executive producers are David Davis, Oregon Public Broadcasting, and Nick Catliff, Chris Bryson and Tony Tackaberry, Lion Television. The History Detectives Web site (pbs.org/historydetectives) includes highlights from the televised investigations called "Case Files."

Founded in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History promotes the study and love of American history. The Institute serves teachers, students, scholars, and the general public. It helps create history-centered schools and academic research centers, organizes seminars and programs for educators, produces print and electronic publications and traveling exhibitions, sponsors lectures by eminent historians, and administers a History Teacher of the Year Award in every state through its partnership with Preserve America. The Institute also conducts awards including the Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and George Washington Book Prizes, and offers fellowships for scholars to work in the Gilder Lehrman Collection and other archives.

The Institute maintains two websites, www.gilderlehrman.org and the quarterly online journal www.historynow.org.