Question

What was Oppenheimer saying about the atomic bomb in this passage?

that it was a terrible weapon that would change the world

that it was more powerful than expected

that he feared he would be killed in the bomb’s blast
We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture . . . “I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” I suppose we all thought that one way or another.

Answer 1

That it was a terrible weapon that would change the world.

He says “We knew the world would not be the same” and quotes “I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds,” emphasizing its destructive, world-changing nature—not surprise about power or fear of being killed.