Jean Tatlock’s Oppenheimer Death Explained: Who Really Killed Her?

Jean Tatlock is one of the most mysterious characters in Oppenheimer, and though her death seems straightforward, some have theories that violence may have come into play. Released in 2023, Oppenheimer made waves in Hollywood for its massive star-studded cast and scale. After sweeping at the 2023 Academy Awards, the Christopher Nolan movie will likely go down in history as one of the best movies of the decade. However, due to its sheer size and story, there are still aspects of Oppenheimer that need picking apart and analyzing for more meaning.

Jean Tatlock is one member of the Oppenheimer cast who could certainly use more investigation. Played by Florence Pugh, Tatlock was a real woman who lived from 1914 to 1944 and was best known for her ties to the Communist Party USA and her relationship with J. Robert Oppenheimer. Though she doesn’t appear too often in the three-hour movie, her influence on Oppenheimer is important. Tatlock creates tension in Oppenheimer’s relationship with his wife, Kitty. Furthermore, her death sends the physicist into an emotional breakdown. Tatlock’s significance increases when discussing how exactly she died.

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Jean Tatlock Died By Suicide In 1944

Tatlock Took Her Own Life

The most common belief about what happened to Jean Tatlock is that she took her own life. In January 1944, Tatlock was being treated for clinical depression (via Brotherhood of the Bomb). One day, Tatlock’s father came to her apartment, and when she wouldn’t answer the door, he climbed in through a window (via American Prometheus). He soon found Jean dead with her head submerged in the bathtub (via J. Oppenheimer: A Life). An unsigned suicide note sat beside her, detailing how she felt like a “paralyzed soul,” (via The Curious Death of Oppenheimer’s Mistress).

According to American Prometheus, an autopsy was completed following Tatlock’s death. The coroner concluded that Jean’s cause of death was suicide. Her stomach contained traces of chloral hydrate, a compound which causes sedation. Due to Tatlock’s job as a psychiatrist, it would have been easy for her to access this drug. Therefore, it was assumed that Tatlock consumed chloral hydrate before taking her own life via drowning. However, despite this open and closed case, several people questioned whether this explanation truly made sense. Some individuals theorized that something – or someone – else might have been at play.

Why There Was A Theory Jean Tatlock Was Killed

Tatlock Was Under FBI Surveillance

Although Jean Tatlock’s death was ruled a suicide, some believed she was a victim of murder. In American Prometheus, it was revealed that Tatlock’s brother, Hugh, was a major proponent of this theory. Historians who came after also examined the validity of this idea. The main detail supporting the murder theory is that Jean Tatlock was under FBI surveillance (via An Atomic Love Story). Due to her role in the Communist Party USA, the U.S. government kept a close eye on Tatlock. They had her phone tapped, and she was often tracked by FBI agents.

If Tatlock was murdered, the circumstances of her death still make sense. Although Tatlock could have taken the chloral hydrate herself, it is just as likely that someone else could have given Tatlock the drug. From there, her attacker could have staged her suicide in the bathtub. Her suicide note was unsigned, which could indicate that her attacker wrote it, but did not want to risk forging her signature. Ultimately, if Jean Tatlock was murdered, the culprit certainly got away with it. Despite this theory, most believed that Tatlock died by suicide in 1944, including Oppenheimer (via American Prometheus).

How Oppenheimer Leans Into The Conspiracy Surrounding Jean Tatlock’s Death

Christopher Nolan Offers Several Possibilities

As a historical epic, Oppenheimer attempts to showcase real events the way they happened, but when it comes to Jean Tatlock’s death, Christopher Nolan slyly shows both sides of her history. When Tatlock’s death is revealed in the movie, Oppenheimer is shown imagining her death. At first, he sees her suicide as it was described in history. However, he briefly sees her potential murder as well. For a flash, audiences see Tatlock’s head being pushed into the bathtub by a black-gloved hand.

By portraying this alternate death, Nolan is not confirming what he thinks happened to Jean Tatlock. On the contrary, he is subtly nodding to those who believed Tatlock’s death to be a murder. Oppenheimer’s black glove is a very smart inclusion from Nolan, who succeeds at showing all the history he can in just a few small details. Although Tatlock’s death is mostly believed to be a suicide, the way Oppenheimer considers both sides proves how slippery the details of history can be.

Sources: Brotherhood of the Bomb, The Curious Death of Oppenheimer’s Mistress, An Atomic Love Story, American Prometheus

Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer is a film by Christopher Nolan, which follows the theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man behind the atomic bomb. Cillian Murphy will play the titular role, with the story based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.

Release Date

July 21, 2023

Runtime

150 Minutes