In 1943, J. Robert Oppenheimer chose Dorothy Scarritt McKibbin, a Smith College graduate, to run a liaison office for the Manhattan Project at 109 East Palace Avenue in Santa Fe. Known as the "Gatekeeper of Los Alamos," she vetted newly arriving scientists and their families before they departed for the top-secret headquarters at what became Los Alamos. She managed essential daily logistics, including clearance credentials, paperwork for new employees, transportation to Los Alamos, and housing coordination there. McKibbin also supported the Manhattan Project community socially, and with a top-secret "Q" security badge she handled communications between scientists and the outside world during World War II. For a time, her home was the only secure private residence in Santa Fe and hosted confidential meetings, social gatherings, and weddings for scientists. She remained head of the Santa Fe office of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory until her retirement in 1963.
