In 1962 , Lieutenant General Leslie Groves ( 1896 -- 1970 ) wrote to Oppenheimer about the origin of the name , asking if he had chosen it .
It was a name common to rivers and peaks in the West and would not attract attention .
In 1962 , Lieutenant General Leslie Groves ( 1896 -- 1970 ) wrote to Oppenheimer about the origin of the name , asking if he had chosen it because it was a name common to rivers and peaks in the West and would not attract attention .