War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Hans Bethe, 1986 [1]
Description:
A Nobel Laureate in physics, Hans Bethe served as Director of Theoretical Physics for the Manhattan Project from 1943-1946, and later worked on the hydrogen bomb, among other activities. Before and since, he was a Professor of Physics at Cornell University. In this interview, he asserts his belief that development of the atomic bomb was inevitable, a conclusion tied to the concept of "technological imperative." He also believes that there have been several missed opportunities to impose meaningful controls over nuclear weapons. He then recounts his arrival in the United States in 1935, the state of the field at that time, and the implicit competition with German scientists on nuclear matters. Discussing his time at Los Alamos, he relates the conflicts that arose between scientists and military representatives, and recalls the experience of witnessing the Trinity test. He then discusses general attitudes among the Los Alamos community toward the Soviets and the question of whether an arms race was likely after the war. His first reaction to Hiroshima was pride and elation at the end of the war, he recalls, later tempered by the evidence of devastation that occurred. After the war, in his recounting, he and a number of colleagues felt obliged to educate the public about the dangers of nuclear war. He comments briefly on the unnecessary Bikini test and on the Baruch Plan. And he closes with a commentary on the scope of the danger involved in a conflict with hydrogen bombs, which he calls "a multiplication of evil."
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