History 138 - Class 37

History 138: Science in the U.S.

Class 37 (11/18)
Cold War

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Outline

Concerns after Hiroshima

Cold War
Confronting communism abroad
The Korean War (1950-53) and the scientists

The arms race
The nature of the race
The hydrogen bomb
Megatonnage, deterrence, and miniaturization
Military posture and scientific superiority

Consequences
Short-term actions, long-term effects
The American psyche
Civil nuclear power and proliferation

Names and Terms

Primary	Secondary
Harry S Truman (Pres 1945-1953, D) Josef Stalin (1879-1953) Atomic Energy Commission H-bomb = thermonuclear bomb = fusion bomb kiloton, megaton Dwight D. Eisenhower (Pres 1953-1961, R) Atoms for Peace (begun 1953)	Franck Report (1945) Truman Doctrine, containment Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Edward Teller (1908- ) Trinity, Hiroshima, Nagasaki (all 1945) Bikini (1946), Joe-1 (1949), Eniwetok (1952) New Look North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Warsaw Pact

Assignment

Louis N. Ridenour et al., "Should the Scientists Resist Military Intrusion?", American Scholar 16 (1946-47), 213-225.

What was at stake in this debate? What were the positions, and what arguments did the different authors advance to support them?
What futures did the different authors see for American science?
How did they construct their histories in service of their arguments?
How had World War II changed the relationship between science and the military? Between science and the federal government?