Day One

This day will go down in history as a black mark against mankind.

Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard leaves Europe, eventually arriving in the United States. With the help of Einstein, he persuades the government to build an atomic bomb. The project is given to no-nonsense Gen. Leslie Groves who selects physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to head the Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico, where the bomb is built. As World War II draws to a close, Szilard has second thoughts about atomic weapons, and policy makers debate how and when to use the bomb.

Brian Dennehy

(Gen. Leslie Groves)

David Strathairn

(J. Robert Oppenheimer)

Michael Tucker

(Leo Szilard)

Hume Cronyn

(James F. Byrnes)

Richard Dysart

(President Harry S. Truman)

Hal Holbrook

(Gen. George Marshall)

Barnard Hughes

(Henry Stimson)

John McMartin

(Dr. Arthur Compton)

David Ogden Stiers

(Franklin D. Roosevelt)

Anne Twomey

(Kitty Oppenheimer)

Lawrence Dane

Ron Frazier

(Colonel Pash)

Olek Krupa

(Edward Teller)

Bernie McInerney

John Pielmeier

(Seth)

Ken Pogue

(Dwight D. Eisenhower)

Gary Reineke

(Groves's Commanding Officer)

Alan Scarfe

John Seitz

(Ralph A. Bard)

Tony Shalhoub

(Enrico Fermi)

Ester Spitz

(Trude Weiss)

Ron White

(Colonel Nichols)

Stephan Balint

(Eugen Wigner)

Peter Boretski

(Albert Einstein)

Patrick Breen

(Richard Feynman)

Vlasta Vrana

(Hans Bethe)

George Popovich

(Samuel Goudsmit)

Lorne Brass

(Klaus Fuchs)

Michael Sinelnikoff

(Lord Rutherford)

Graham Haley

(Haakon Chevalier)

Kliment Denchev

(Michael Polanyi)

Diana Fajrajsl

(Ilse Polanyi)

Timothy Webber

(Colonel Lansdale)

Harry Strandjofski

(Robert Wilson)

Lia Sargent

(Mrs. Wisnovsky)

David Gow

(Jack Wisnovsky)

Michael Farrell

(Shapp)

Isabelle Mejias

(Mrs. Trowbridge)

Jonathan Wise

(Robert Serber)

George R. Robertson

(Ed Condon)

Dee McCafferty

(William 'Deke' Parsons)

Tom Butler

(Captain DeSilva)

Robert Morelli

(T. O. Jones)

Jon Baggaley

(James Tuck)

David Bolt

(Harry Gold)

David Ferry

(Army Major)

Heinar Pillar

(Fleischmann)

François Klanfer

(Haagen Kistiakowski)

Joel Miller

(George Kistiakowski)

Michael J. Reynolds

(Kenneth Bainbridge)

Ed McGibbon

(William D. Leahy)

Nicholas Kilbertus

(Paul Tibbets)

Joe Cazalet

(Air Force Guard)

Scott Thomson

(Chemist)

Bob Clout

(Alfred MacCormack)

Roland Hewgill

(Army General)

Stan Gibbons

(John J. McCloy)

Terrence Labrosse

(Allan Dulles)

Delise Alison

(London Pedestrian)

Alex Guard

(British Jr. Officer)

Philip Spensley

(British Sr. Officer)

Frederick Neumann

(Alexander Sachs)

Norris Domingue

(General Pa Watson)

Steve Barry

(Los Alamo Scientist (uncredited))

Arthur Holden

(Scientist (uncredited))

Romano Orzari

(Leo Szilard's Prime Scientist (uncredited))