> "There have always been reasons to object to working in national defense. During the Cold War quite a few physicists and engineers chose not to go into defense work because they did not want to feel like they were hastening nuclear Armageddon."
Robert Oppenheimer, the "Father of the Atomic Bomb," lost his security clearance and his position on the Atomic Energy Commission for voicing concerns and refusing to directly help build the hydrogen bomb in the 50s. He argued it was against the United States' best interests to develop it, because the USSR had no cities large enough to use it on, while the United States did. The United States also had plenty of large atomic bombs with pretty high yield already that were much cheaper to build. Thus, when the Soviets eventually created their own, they would be ones with a reason to have it, while we wasted tons of money giving it to them that could have been spent elsewhere.
I'll have to pick it up. I've always considered Oppenheimer one of the most interesting people to have lived. He was very charismatic, winning over scientist and bureaucrat alike and a compromiser when necessary, but yet would not compromise when it came to the issue of the hydrogen bomb at the height of "McCarthyism". Too bad he's mostly forgotten in present day history.
He was interesting. It's a shame how much he was ostracized by the very same people who used him to get to the atomic bomb. The book does his life and his life's work justice. It's an extremely interesting and well written account.
Robert Oppenheimer, the "Father of the Atomic Bomb," lost his security clearance and his position on the Atomic Energy Commission for voicing concerns and refusing to directly help build the hydrogen bomb in the 50s. He argued it was against the United States' best interests to develop it, because the USSR had no cities large enough to use it on, while the United States did. The United States also had plenty of large atomic bombs with pretty high yield already that were much cheaper to build. Thus, when the Soviets eventually created their own, they would be ones with a reason to have it, while we wasted tons of money giving it to them that could have been spent elsewhere.
Just for reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Openheimer#Atomic_Energy...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078037/ Great miniseries on Oppenheimer done by the BBC, if one can find it.