War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Edward Teller, 1986
Description:
Edward Teller was a theoretical nuclear physicist, an early participant in the Manhattan Project and a leading proponent of developing the hydrogen bomb. He served as Director of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory from 1958-1960. In this interview he discusses the early U.S. nuclear program. He recalls the fear of emigre physicists that the Nazis would be the first to develop and use an atomic weapon. He also discusses the petition circulated at the Los Alamos Laboratory calling for the U.S. not to drop the atomic bomb on Japan before demonstrating it to the Japanese. He describes his reaction to the Soviet atomic test in 1949, the eventual decision, after some resistance, for the U.S. to develop a hydrogen bomb, and related topics such as the debate over the feasibility of the device. He says that he was not surprised by the launch of Sputnik because since the end of World War II he has believed that the Soviets' military technology capabilities have consistently been underestimated. He explains why he is for nuclear testing, especially since there is no way to verify a test ban, and ends by expressing the view that nuclear weapons should not have been used in 1945, but having been used, the world will never resort to them again.
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