History of the TNX name
At the onset of World War II, The duPont Company was the world's engineering leader. The company produced industrial rubbers, explosives, and a broad array of chemicals. When Allied spies learned that the Nazi war-machine was attempting to engineer and produce a weapon of theoretical unmatched destruction, War Director General Leslie Groves and President Franklin D. Roosevelt ('FDR') turned to Walter Carpenter, the then President of duPont, to catch-up and out-engineer the Nazis.
FDR told Carpenter to 'name his terms' to which Carpenter responded with three conditions:
FDR told Carpenter to 'name his terms' to which Carpenter responded with three conditions:
- That all technology developed under the program be assigned to the U.S. Government,
- duPont would not profit from the effort,
- duPont engineers should maintain control and lead the work
President Roosevelt found these conditions easy to accept, and with that, duPont undertook what would become one of the most ambitious engineering commitments in human history: to catch-up to and outpace German engineering and beat the Nazis. A personal investment of $375,000,000 by Carpenter and the duPont family to create the TNT-eXperimental Division, abbreviated “TNX", in return for a contracted $1 from the U.S. Government.
TNX facilitated massive scale in its engineering, including:
This effort, of course, was the commercialization of the atomic weapons program for the U.S. Government and to produce a weapons grade device before the Nazis.
TNX facilitated massive scale in its engineering, including:
- 42,000+ workers, scientists and engineers
- 428,000 acres of land, acquired under the government's War Powers Authority
- 50+ factories constructed to support the war effort
- 10,000,000+ square-feet of refining and manufacturing capacity in Hanford, WA
This effort, of course, was the commercialization of the atomic weapons program for the U.S. Government and to produce a weapons grade device before the Nazis.
Walter S. Carpenter, Jr.
TNX succeeded.
TNX's accomplishments allowed the U.S. to gain the upper hand in World War II and ultimately triumph in the nuclear arms race. The War reached its conclusion when the U.S. military deployed two nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which led to Japan's surrender less than a week later, on August 14th, 1945, ending World War II.
While the destruction was unmatched, it is believed the early end of the War saved hundreds of thousands of lives on both side of the War. Following World War 2, backed by this game changing technology, the U.S. emerged as the undisputed world superpower.
The TNX program profoundly influenced world events, setting the stage for the United States to become the dominant economic and military superpower for over seven decades. This period of American dominance facilitated the spread of democratic freedom across the globe.
Following the War, Carpenter continued to lead The duPont Company, serving as Chairman of the Board for the following four decades. He also continued serving on the Board of Directors of General Motors after the War [serving GM from 1927 until 1959]. Despite Carpenter's later ascension to Chairman of the Board of duPont where he oversaw duPont's growth into the world's largest corporation, both Carpenter and the Company itself remained steadfast in their stance of not profiting from their wartime efforts.
In 1957, Carpenter donated $1,000,000 to Cornell to further engineering studies. A testament to his dedication to engineering, Carpenter Hall, the Cornell Engineering Library, is named in his honor.
The TNX program was conceived for purely altruistic and patriotic reasons, from the outset with a stated intent not to generate any profit. Its successes could not have been achieved without exceptional Engineering ability, access to substantial Capital, and a Determination to do the right thing.
TNX's accomplishments allowed the U.S. to gain the upper hand in World War II and ultimately triumph in the nuclear arms race. The War reached its conclusion when the U.S. military deployed two nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which led to Japan's surrender less than a week later, on August 14th, 1945, ending World War II.
While the destruction was unmatched, it is believed the early end of the War saved hundreds of thousands of lives on both side of the War. Following World War 2, backed by this game changing technology, the U.S. emerged as the undisputed world superpower.
The TNX program profoundly influenced world events, setting the stage for the United States to become the dominant economic and military superpower for over seven decades. This period of American dominance facilitated the spread of democratic freedom across the globe.
Following the War, Carpenter continued to lead The duPont Company, serving as Chairman of the Board for the following four decades. He also continued serving on the Board of Directors of General Motors after the War [serving GM from 1927 until 1959]. Despite Carpenter's later ascension to Chairman of the Board of duPont where he oversaw duPont's growth into the world's largest corporation, both Carpenter and the Company itself remained steadfast in their stance of not profiting from their wartime efforts.
In 1957, Carpenter donated $1,000,000 to Cornell to further engineering studies. A testament to his dedication to engineering, Carpenter Hall, the Cornell Engineering Library, is named in his honor.
The TNX program was conceived for purely altruistic and patriotic reasons, from the outset with a stated intent not to generate any profit. Its successes could not have been achieved without exceptional Engineering ability, access to substantial Capital, and a Determination to do the right thing.
For more history, please see:
- https://www.osti.gov/opennet/manhattan-project-history/People/CivilianOrgs/dupont.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanford_Engineer_Works
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_S._Carpenter_Jr.
- https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-atomic-bombs-that-ended-the-second-world-war
- https://www.amazon.com/Strictly-Business-Carpenter-General-Industry/dp/0801849411