In the Shadow of the Bomb

by Silvan S. Schweber

In the Shadow of the Bomb narrates how two charismatic, exceptionally talented physicists--J. Robert Oppenheimer and Hans A. Bethe--came to terms with the nuclear weapons they helped to create. In 1945, the United States dropped the bomb, and physicists were forced to contemplate disquieting questions about their roles and responsibilities. When the Cold War followed, they were confronted with political demands for their loyalty and McCarthyism's threats to academic freedom. By examining how Oppenheimer and Bethe--two men with similar backgrounds but divergent aspirations and characters--struggled with these moral dilemmas, one of our foremost historians of physics tells the story of modern physics, the development of atomic weapons, and the Cold War.


Oppenheimer and Bethe led parallel lives. Both received liberal educations that emphasized moral as well as intellectual growth. Both were outstanding theoreticians who worked on the atom bomb at Los Alamos. Both advised the government on nuclear issues, and both resisted the development of the hydrogen bomb. Both were, in their youth, sympathetic to liberal causes, and both were later called to defend the United States against Soviet communism and colleagues against anti-Communist crusaders. Finally, both prized scientific community as a salve to the apparent failure of Enlightenment values.


Yet, their responses to the use of the atom bomb, the testing of the hydrogen bomb, and the treachery of domestic politics differed markedly. Bethe, who drew confidence from scientific achievement and integration into the physics community, preserved a deep integrity. By accepting a modest role, he continued to influence policy and contributed to the nuclear test ban treaty of 1963. In contrast, Oppenheimer first embodied a new scientific persona--the scientist who creates knowledge and technology affecting all humanity and boldly addresses their impact--and then could not carry its burden. His desire to retain insider status, combined with his isolation from creative work and collegial scientific community, led him to compromise principles and, ironically, to lose prestige and fall victim to other insiders.


Schweber draws on his vast knowledge of science and its history--in addition to his unique access to the personalities involved--to tell a tale of two men that will enthrall readers interested in science, history, and the lives and minds of great thinkers.

Genres: Science, Biography, Politics, History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published April 17, 2000

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the 4th book I read for my 2nd philosophy class: Modern Physics and Moral Responsibility. It is a comparative biography between Hans Bethe and J. Robert Oppenheimer, two physicists who worked on the Manhattan Project together at Los Alamos. In short, Bethe emerges as superior to Oppenheimer at the end of the book. While Oppenheimer was fragile and insecure, Bethe had a strong sense of self. After the war, Oppenheimer stopped doing physics and took an inside role in government. On the other hand, Bethe became an outsider who kept doing physics research at Cornell. Oppenheimer's ultimate downfall was the revocation of his security clearance in 1954, which prohibited him from influencing policies on nuclear weapons during the Cold War. In contrast, Bethe made massive contributions to the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
Bethe and Oppenheimer shared similar moral views on nuclear weapons post Hiroshima and Nagasaki. For instance, both scientists were against the development of the hydrogen bomb. Interestingly, the two men also had moral upbringings: Bethe was morally educated at the German Gymnasium, and Oppenheimer learned how to live a moral life at the Ethical Culture School in New York City. That being said, Schweber paints the picture that Bethe had a steadier moral compass than Oppenheimer later in life. I took a lot more notes on this book for my class, and wrote an essay on the psychological profile of Oppenheimer.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had the good fortune to have known Bethe and love learning about his life. This explores his moral decisions regarding nuclear weapons and some of his research. Very interesting and while technical the author does a good job of explaining.

[Tom Bantle]

p. 10

[Larry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing.