What do you think?
Rate this book
Edward Teller: The Real Dr. Strangelove
One Nobel Prize–winning physicist called Edward Teller, “A great man of vast imagination…[one of the] most thoughtful statesmen of science.” Another called him, “A danger to all that is important… It would have been a better world without [him].” That both opinions about Teller were commonly held and equally true is one of the enduring mysteries about the man dubbed “the father of the H-bomb.” In the story of Teller’s life and career, told here in greater depth and detail than ever before, Peter Goodchild unravels the complex web of harsh early experiences, character flaws, and personal and professional frustrations that lay behind the paradox of “the real Dr. Strangelove.”
Goodchild’s biography draws on interviews with more than fifty of Teller’s colleagues and friends. Their voices echo through the book, expressing admiration and contempt, affection and hatred, as we observe Teller’s involvement in every stage of building the atomic bomb, and his subsequent pursuit of causes that drew the world deeper into the Cold War―alienating many of his scientific colleagues even as he provided the intellectual lead for politicians, the military, and presidents as they shaped Western policy. Goodchild interviewed Teller himself at the end of his life, and what emerges from this interview, as well as from Teller’s memoirs and recently unearthed correspondence, is a clearer view of the contradictions and controversies that riddled the man’s life. Most of all, though, this absorbing biography rescues Edward Teller from the caricatures that have served to describe him until now. In their place, Goodchild shows us one of the most powerful scientists of the twentieth century in all his enigmatic humanity.
Goodchild’s biography draws on interviews with more than fifty of Teller’s colleagues and friends. Their voices echo through the book, expressing admiration and contempt, affection and hatred, as we observe Teller’s involvement in every stage of building the atomic bomb, and his subsequent pursuit of causes that drew the world deeper into the Cold War―alienating many of his scientific colleagues even as he provided the intellectual lead for politicians, the military, and presidents as they shaped Western policy. Goodchild interviewed Teller himself at the end of his life, and what emerges from this interview, as well as from Teller’s memoirs and recently unearthed correspondence, is a clearer view of the contradictions and controversies that riddled the man’s life. Most of all, though, this absorbing biography rescues Edward Teller from the caricatures that have served to describe him until now. In their place, Goodchild shows us one of the most powerful scientists of the twentieth century in all his enigmatic humanity.
512 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2004
3 people are currently reading
137 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 31, 2022
I have always had an interest in the story of atomic weapons, growing out of my early interest in physics. As a schoolboy I remember seeing ''In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer'' with my father, which introduced me to some of the ethical issues when I was probably too young to really engage with them. A few years ago I read an Oppenheimer biography and watched some of the contemporaneous newsreels on Youtube, then bought this biography of Teller to broaden my understanding. Seeing Dr Strangelove of course was a further trigger.
The book must have spent 5 years on my bedside cabinet, ignored because I didn't need to wade through 400 pages to learn that Teller was a nasty piece of work; that was patently obvious. The point of reading this book was to see where that came from.
Teller came from a middle class Jewish family in Hungary. His early career reflected his brilliance -- hanging out with Heisenberg and the gang, very young doctorate and professorate. Then he went to America and into the Manhatten Project. The way in which he pushed for the hydrogen bomb will make every parent remember the less attractive aspects of sibling rivalry and entitledment; even his friend Fermi told Teller that he was a monomaniac. In the end, in Teller's own words, ''he joined the fascists'' because he wanted his own bomb that was bigger than anyone else's. He effectively ostracized himself from much of the serious phycisists' society by testifying against Oppenheimer.
His erstwhile friend Hans Bethe summarised it well: ''The fact that he was destroying a person's life by speaking out didn't seem important. [...] the strongest reason was that Oppie had opposed his pet project''.
No wonder that so many reviews of him use the term ''Faustian'' for the bargain he made (cf the Scientific American blog).
So much for the person. What about the book? The author did a fantastic job of showing the many facets of this great scientist. It is evident that a great deal of effort went into researching this topic. For instance, he references documentation to show how Teller's recollections changed to draw the persecution sharper and to diminish other people's contributions.
The author quotes Teller to the effect that his behaviour was influenced by his over-protective mother. Perhaps that was behind his perennial feeling an outsider? He clearly had issues around self worth that manifested in jealousy, and later developed something very much like paranoia where all reverses were evidence of conspiracies against him. The social turmoil in post-WW1 Hungary (Bela Kun etc) has also been quoted as a factor, as was his father's warnings about Russia. The problem with such determinism is that a lot of sensible people came through those routes too (and not all of them sat out the war in America). Perhaps it was just the law of averages -- all serious physicists are very clever but they can't all be wise and gentle; every so often there must be a real arsehole with a big chip on his shoulder, and he was the one.
For me the second half of the book felt too long but perhaps the subject matter just became increasingly distasteful. Of course the biographer has to document everything else in a long life, the Lawrence Lab, SDI, but to the reader these are just the same behaviour in different settings.
The book must have spent 5 years on my bedside cabinet, ignored because I didn't need to wade through 400 pages to learn that Teller was a nasty piece of work; that was patently obvious. The point of reading this book was to see where that came from.
Teller came from a middle class Jewish family in Hungary. His early career reflected his brilliance -- hanging out with Heisenberg and the gang, very young doctorate and professorate. Then he went to America and into the Manhatten Project. The way in which he pushed for the hydrogen bomb will make every parent remember the less attractive aspects of sibling rivalry and entitledment; even his friend Fermi told Teller that he was a monomaniac. In the end, in Teller's own words, ''he joined the fascists'' because he wanted his own bomb that was bigger than anyone else's. He effectively ostracized himself from much of the serious phycisists' society by testifying against Oppenheimer.
His erstwhile friend Hans Bethe summarised it well: ''The fact that he was destroying a person's life by speaking out didn't seem important. [...] the strongest reason was that Oppie had opposed his pet project''.
No wonder that so many reviews of him use the term ''Faustian'' for the bargain he made (cf the Scientific American blog).
So much for the person. What about the book? The author did a fantastic job of showing the many facets of this great scientist. It is evident that a great deal of effort went into researching this topic. For instance, he references documentation to show how Teller's recollections changed to draw the persecution sharper and to diminish other people's contributions.
The author quotes Teller to the effect that his behaviour was influenced by his over-protective mother. Perhaps that was behind his perennial feeling an outsider? He clearly had issues around self worth that manifested in jealousy, and later developed something very much like paranoia where all reverses were evidence of conspiracies against him. The social turmoil in post-WW1 Hungary (Bela Kun etc) has also been quoted as a factor, as was his father's warnings about Russia. The problem with such determinism is that a lot of sensible people came through those routes too (and not all of them sat out the war in America). Perhaps it was just the law of averages -- all serious physicists are very clever but they can't all be wise and gentle; every so often there must be a real arsehole with a big chip on his shoulder, and he was the one.
For me the second half of the book felt too long but perhaps the subject matter just became increasingly distasteful. Of course the biographer has to document everything else in a long life, the Lawrence Lab, SDI, but to the reader these are just the same behaviour in different settings.
August 25, 2023
Just an incredible book, contains the whole life of Dr. Teller describing aspects of his character and his personality unknown to many. I thank the author for writing a work like this.
July 11, 2018
This is an excellent book about a man who was both fascinating and difficult -- Nobel Prize-winning physicist Edward Teller, often called the "father of the H-bomb." He provoked strong feelings amongst his fellow scientists, some calling him the most brilliant man they had ever known, while others saw him as a danger to the very existence of human beings. This book is in no way a hagiography as Goodchild describes Teller's life, both personal and professional, with all the flaws, triumphs, mistakes, shining intellect, and paranoia on full display. Of course paralleling Teller's life is the creation of nuclear weapons and his role in the research that led to a modern world living in fear of total annihilation. When Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove" movie came out, it was said that Kubrick based the Strangelove character on Teller and for many years, Teller was seen as a caricature. This biography paints a much fuller picture of the man and scientist. He was indeed extremely conservative and believed firmly that the U.S. should be fully engaged in a Cold War. He was one of the strongest proponents of Reagan's SDI program (a defensive program aimed at destroying enemy ICBMs). To Teller, no amount of money was too small to spend on weapons and defenses and he made many enemies with this stance. It didn't help that he was outspoken and traveled tirelessly lecturing on behalf of weapons research. He hated the Soviet Union and spoke loudly and often that the U.S. must never trust them and must not sign any peace treaties with them. The whole "give peace a chance" ethos would have been anathema to Teller.
The many stories Goodchild tells about Los Alamos, the Livermore lab, and all the scientists involved are quite interesting, but I confess his detailed descriptions of the physics of atomic and hydrogen bombs, and the research into defensive options went way over my head. But it was clear to me that Goodchild was familiar with the science and therefore -- to me, at least -- that made him a measured judge into the many pros and cons of the various programs. It's easy to think of scientists working hard in their labs, attempting to solve serious problems and find useful solutions. This book shows those men and women as warts-and-all human beings, who occasionally let their personal feelings get in the way, but still manage to do cutting edge research that completely changed the world.
The many stories Goodchild tells about Los Alamos, the Livermore lab, and all the scientists involved are quite interesting, but I confess his detailed descriptions of the physics of atomic and hydrogen bombs, and the research into defensive options went way over my head. But it was clear to me that Goodchild was familiar with the science and therefore -- to me, at least -- that made him a measured judge into the many pros and cons of the various programs. It's easy to think of scientists working hard in their labs, attempting to solve serious problems and find useful solutions. This book shows those men and women as warts-and-all human beings, who occasionally let their personal feelings get in the way, but still manage to do cutting edge research that completely changed the world.
November 22, 2025
This is a very detailed book about an important scientist and although I finished it I still am not sure whether Dr Teller had a good impact on history or a bad one. I’m leaning toward the bad side. He did seem to believe he was always right. That alone scares me.
Read
June 8, 2024After several breaks—at last!—I am finished.
It’s a good book. There’s a handful of technical i.e. writing errors, which leads me to believe Goodchild did not have an editor, or at least not a very diligent one. I also know Goodchild is not a historian. It’s certainly readable and fitting for anybody interested in the man. I put off reading this because I thought reading Teller’s Memoirs would’ve sufficed, but now I’d argue this biography is very helpful in actually understanding him and his life; after all, he lies (or misremembers/misinterprets/ignores details/etc.) plenty in Memoirs, and Goodchild takes note of that and offers opposing perspectives. I’d suggest that anybody who really wants to know Edward Teller should read this and his Memoirs side-by-side.
Edit: I preferred Istvan Hargittai’s biography to Goodchild’s. I’d recommend Hargittai’s over this one. HOWEVER, if you’re like me and hyper-fixate on specific subjects…they’re both worth it. Hargittai’s is certainly more analytical, Goodchild’s covers minute details of Teller’s life with less assumption that you already know him.
It’s a good book. There’s a handful of technical i.e. writing errors, which leads me to believe Goodchild did not have an editor, or at least not a very diligent one. I also know Goodchild is not a historian. It’s certainly readable and fitting for anybody interested in the man. I put off reading this because I thought reading Teller’s Memoirs would’ve sufficed, but now I’d argue this biography is very helpful in actually understanding him and his life; after all, he lies (or misremembers/misinterprets/ignores details/etc.) plenty in Memoirs, and Goodchild takes note of that and offers opposing perspectives. I’d suggest that anybody who really wants to know Edward Teller should read this and his Memoirs side-by-side.
Edit: I preferred Istvan Hargittai’s biography to Goodchild’s. I’d recommend Hargittai’s over this one. HOWEVER, if you’re like me and hyper-fixate on specific subjects…they’re both worth it. Hargittai’s is certainly more analytical, Goodchild’s covers minute details of Teller’s life with less assumption that you already know him.
June 18, 2024
In many ways the history of Edward Teller as the main instigator of the development of the Hydrogen Bomb and an assailant of the public reputation of Robert Oppenheimer is well known. What Goodchild does is to delve into roots of the moral surety and personal insecurities that drove Teller on the road from being a valued member of the American community of physicists to being a social pariah from that community and earning the image of being a tool of the American Military Industrial Complex. The image I get is of a person who, for all his insistence on being a man of principle, essentially knew only one way to get acceptance and who obsessively returned to that path again and again in a futile effort to achieve a sense of personal achievement.
Originally written: September 12, 2013.
Originally written: September 12, 2013.
April 4, 2015
Another scientific giant once well know slipping into obscurity for the typical person. Teller was the man led the way to develop the thermonuclear bomb after his work on the Manhattan project that developed the atom bomb that ended the war with Japan.
Teller was from Europe and had to leave to escape persecution as the Nazis rose to power. Some of his family were killed in the holocaust while after the war others languished behind the iron curtain. A remarkable and brilliant man who made a significant impact.
Teller was from Europe and had to leave to escape persecution as the Nazis rose to power. Some of his family were killed in the holocaust while after the war others languished behind the iron curtain. A remarkable and brilliant man who made a significant impact.
September 7, 2016
This is a well-written and interesting biography of Edward Teller. Teller makes for a complex subject and the author handles things with subtlety and sympathy, without holding back from considerable criticism. I found the later chapters a little less interesting than the earlier ones, but I suspect that that was down to the subject rather than the author.
Well worth reading.
July 24, 2007
My wife bought me this book because she knew ho much I loved the movie. It never really grabbed me, though. It's not her fault. It made me really want to read Teller's memoirs, though, since most of the early part of the book consists of enormous quotes from it. I'll finish this thing, tho.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews