Years later, Oppenheimer was rehabilitated by President John F. Kennedy. He awarded him the Enrico Fermi Prize in 1963 for his contributions to the development of atomic energy.

After Kennedy's assassination, his successor, President Lyndon Johnson, presented Oppenheimer with the award "for his contributions to theoretical physics as a teacher and originator, and for his leadership of the Los Alamos laboratory and the atomic energy program during critical years".