In the Shadow of the Bomb

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Open a survey-textbook treatment of the development of the atomic and hydrogen bombs, and you will certainly encounter J. Robert Oppenheimer's name within the first few lines. The contributions of Hans A. Bethe, a gifted physicist who fled Nazi Germany and was quickly recruited for the Allied cause, were arguably no less important than Oppenheimer's. But, writes Silvan Schweber--himself a physicist who studied at Princeton University while Albert Einstein and Oppenheimer were in residence there--Bethe has been largely forgotten, and perhaps not accidentally.

Oppenheimer, Schweber suggests, was so attentive to seeking fame and influence that he was too quickly willing to compromise his principles on such matters as the use of atomic weaponry in warfare. His nadir came when, testifying before Joseph McCarthy's House Un-American Activities Committee in 1949, Oppenheimer denounced several of his colleagues as Communist sympathizers--and this from a man who had been closely involved in leftist politics before World War II. By contrast, Bethe, as Schweber writes admiringly in this study of the two scientists' lives and work, went out of his way to "act courageously in the interests of community and humankind," in both the scientific and political realms. Troubled by his role in creating weapons of mass destruction and intent on taking morally correct actions, Bethe spent much of his postwar energies quietly arguing for arms reduction, an effort that contributed to the international nuclear test ban treaty of 1963. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

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.

Customer Reviews:

Oppenheimer, Bethe and their moral responsibility.......2001-01-17

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to find out something about two of the greatest scientists of the 20th century. I originally bought this book for a paper on J.R. Oppenheimer's ethical behaviour and I was a bit disappointed that the main part of where he completely changed his point of view concerning the development of the atomic bomhb and the H-bomb was written in the introduction. It is the most informative part of the book anyway, since it is easy to read even if you didn't have more than an introductory course in Physics at school.

All in all I can say that this is a book that gives a good look behind the scenes of science, in the mind of these two scientists who helped shape the world as we enter the next millennium.

An Important book for our time.......2000-11-12

The 21st century is here and ethical may play a significant role in decisions made in scientific research and international affairs. This is so because the world in which we live is seeking a direction for human well-being. What's more, the implications of scientific research have moved to the forefront in the midst of cloning, genetic manipulation and so on. This book reminds us that scientists are people too and some were aware of the possible consequences of their work. They were concerned not only with whether or not something could be done but ought it to be done. Such a book is so important for our times as technology continues run far ahead of ethics and moral accountability. In a world where nuclear weapons are spreading it is important that human beings come to grips with the nuclear menace with a commitment to the elimination of these awful weapons. This book should be read by every scientist and concerned citizen. Our future may depend on the lessons gleaned from scuh publications and the life stories of such extraordinary people like Robert Oppenheimer and Hans Bethe.

Moral responsibility and ethical behaivor.......2000-09-29

I cannot praise this book too highly. The issues it is concerned with, the qualities of the individuals it focuses upon, the importance of the lessons which Schweber so clearly defines make it an outstanding contribution to science and to general literature. I cannot remember another occasion in which I spent as much time on the introduction to a book as I did in this case.Although the setting is within the realm of science there is no requirement that the reader have a scientific background to appreciate fully the nature of this book which is concerned with moral responsibility and ethical behaivor at a level which impacts on the survival of humanity and the endurance of our planet. I found myself going back to my old copy of Lawrence and Oppenheimer by Nuel Pharr Davis which deals with many of the same issues in Schweber's book; but from a much different perspective. The concurent reading of both books has been a very satisfying experience. I believe In The Shadow of the Bomb is an extremely important book with meaningfull lessons for society. Nothing like it has been presented on this topic before.

Book Description

Leo Szilard has long been overshadowed by such luminaries as Einstein, Oppenheimer, and Enrico Fermi—with whom he codesigned the first nuclear reactor in 1942. A shy, witty eccentric, the Hungarian born Szilard lived both sides of the arms race, working first to prevent, then to hasten, and finally to outlaw nuclear weapons.

"Lanouette's book is eminently readable. . . . An excellent book spiced with telling anecdotes about a strange man who influenced world history."—Max F. Perutz, New York Review of Books

"Lanouette's exhaustively researched and artfully written account of one of the most underrated figures of the atomic age establishes Szilard as both a curmudgeon and a posthumously honored prophet."—Gregg Herken, Nature

"William Lanouette . . . has written the most sensitive and lively biography. . . . The book gives an excellent picture of the man, and makes most interesting reading. I strongly recommend it."—Hans Bethe, Physics Today

"A wonderful book about this endlessly fascinating man . . . one of the most entertaining stories in recent years. . . . A keeper."—Dick Teresi, New York Times Book Review

Customer Reviews:

"Never Destroy What You Cannot Create".......2003-05-24

"Never destroy what you cannot create" was one of Leo Szliard's codes of conduct. Books about unsung heros' of the scientific age are almost like novels. Nevertheless, great men seem to rise above dry biography if they had some esoteric ways. We have all read stacks of magazines and books about Albert Einstein to probe into all the details of what made him tick (in relative time, of course). Leo Szliard was a mental gypsy from the old world who saw the new world before most of the other "famous" thinkers of the 20th Century even opened their eyes. A must read for a knowledge foundation in enjoying the lifestyles of the Wise and Unusual.

Outstanding Portrait of a Catalytic Genius.......2001-01-31

Anyone interested in Szilard, early 20th Century World History, the A-Bomb, or all of the above will find this book hard to put down. This biography is comprehensive, well-researched and properly kind to its subject. Dr. Szilard probably will never get enough credit for his genius and all his great ideas and achievements, but this book does him justice. He seems to come alive in this book, always several steps ahead of everyone else.

American culture's emphasis on individualism often ignores the more collaborative contributions such as Dr. Szilard's. An original, he both created and collaborated, and this book tells his story.

At times, I thought the author might have been over-stating some of Dr. Szilard's accompishments, but the story is otherwise well-done, and frankly, Dr. Szilard deserves a little promotion, so I didn't mind.

Life and loves of the man who patented atomic energy.......1997-04-27

Leo Szilard's life is traced from his early childhood in Budapest, Hungary through his student days in Berlin; and the development of the first atomic reactor and bomb. Dealing openly with Szilard's ambitions, obsessions, and fears the book delves into the intriguing details of his intensely adventurous life. For example, the very day in 1933 Adolf Hitler became Chancellor, Szilard caught the last train out of Germany; saving his worldly possessions and himself from the hands of the Nazis. Szilard's pluck is revealed when in England, not having access to a laboratory, he borrows equipment and performs perhaps the first nuclear physics chain reaction experiments in his hotel room! Throughout the details of his evolving atomic theories and practical inventions is woven his love life. Because of his genius, vision, and high human values, Szilard is always regarded with suspicion; especially by the American military bureaucracy. Indeed, General Grove who oversees the United States atomic bomb project has it in for Szilard; and even tries to get him deported as an undesireable alien. This is the story of the man who not only ushered in atomic power into the 20th Century but maintained his individuality while doing so. A somewhat sad love story is woven through the fascinating history of Szilard's atomic power. Many classic photographs of Szilard at important and personal events accompany the very well organized text. Although not a literary masterpiece, this book is a biographical masterpiece and should be read by scholars and romantics alike

Exactly what a popular biography of a physicist should be........1995-12-30

Leo is one of my ultimate heros, and Bill Lanouette has done what is in my mind, the perfect popular bio of a rocket scientist. Knowing Leo's peripitatic life style, I can only imagine the horrific amount of time and cunning it took the author to get his research. Few books I go back to more often, just for pure pleasure. And I met Leo when I was but a wee sprout. Please. Don't miss this one.

Hiroshima: The Shadow of the Bomb (Point of Impact)

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The sad story of Hiroshima
The sad story of Hiroshima

Hiroshima: The Shadow of the Bomb (Point of Impact)
Richard Tames
Manufacturer: Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1403491496

Book Description

Find out why Japan was the first target for an atomic bomb. This book focuses on the impact of the bomb on Hiroshima, analyzing how it came about, describing it, and discussing its consequences on history. Investigate the timeline to understand crucial dates surrounding the bombing of Hiroshima. Read the debate section so you can consider the arguments and weigh the evidence about its role in history. Clear photographs, maps, contemporary views, a glossary, and tips for future research are included to help you to understand the importance of this turning point in history.

Customer Reviews:

The sad story of Hiroshima.......2003-03-05

It was so sad that the first A-Bomb was dropped in Hiroshima, Japan and ended up killing more than 100,000 people. This book gives a lot of information into this tradegy. It gives helpful information about the background of Hiroshima and why there was conflict, the invention of the atomic bomb, the reconstruction and restoration process, and the high price of progress. I know that people were badly burned by high temperatures and got scars. Also it ruined the neighbors, buildings, people including jobs in Hiroshima when so many people were wounded. The war in WWII was taken over by Japanese people to get to Korea and attack them and get their independence. This occurred when Japanese expansion went through China and attacked. The Allies U.S., USSR and Great Britain agreed that Europe and Japan should soon be democratic and not use communism. For the second time, the atomic bomb was dropped in Nagasaki and it was more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb. Less people died, and the buildings were completely destroyed. Many years later, Hiroshima had built modern buildings. The dome was blasted with the Atomic Bomb in 1945 and more than 55 years later, they can't even finish this dome because I know they will never build it much. Japan began to rebuild its city. Jobs were created, buidings were restored and the people got on with their lives. However, there was a protest from the U.S. government about the expansion tactics. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor that is in US and it was the Japanese aircrafts that attacked it. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the events taking place before the bombing at Hiroshima and the effects of this event on the rest of ythe world. This is a realistic account of the facts as they occcurred during and before Hiroshima and the conflicts that still exist today.

The sad story of Hiroshima.......2003-03-05

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Shadow of the Bomb (Snap Malek Mystery)
Robert Goldsborough
Manufacturer: Echelon Press Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1590803515

Shadow: A Cottontail Bomber Crew in World War II

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Shadow: A Cottontail Bomber Crew in World War II
Neil Hunter Raiford
Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0786419067

Book Description

This is the poignant and exciting story of a statistical anomaly, a B-24 bomber crew that completed 50 combat missions in World War II. This crew was part of the famous 450th Bomb Group, which was nicknamed the "Cottontails" because of their white rudders. As part of the 15th Army Air Force, they flew strategic bombing missions out of Manduria, Italy (in the heel of the boot) and struck strategic targets which were out of the reach of the 8th Army Air Force bases in England. The group lost 1,505 airmen in only a year and a half—the equivalent of losing their effective flying strength three times over. The book's title comes from the crew's bomber, Shadow, which in turn was named for the pilot's black cocker spaniel that flew with them on training missions.

Book Description

"Brilliant expositions on elementary particle physics, and graceful eulogies on several well known physicists." Physics World "The book exudes the warmth of its author. It is often moving, at times funny, never dull, and sometimes quite profound." American Journal of Physics In the Shadow of the Bomb probes the theoretical constraints that underlie science policy questions, addresses past and developing themes in the arms control and national security debate, and discusses the underpinnings and morality of nuclear deterrence. Includes Drell's personal reminiscences of friends and colleagues, among them, Wolfgang K.H. Panofsky, T.D. Lee, and Victor F. Weisskopf. Several essays are devoted to Andrei Sakharov, with whom Drell enjoyed a close friendship.

Collision course at Kwajalein: Marshall Islanders in the shadow of the bomb

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Collision course at Kwajalein: Marshall Islanders in the shadow of the bomb
Giff Johnson
Manufacturer: Pacific Concerns Resource Center
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

In the Shadow of the Bomb: Physics and Arms Control (An Insider's Look At the Rise and Fall of the Nuclear Threat)

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In the Shadow of the Bomb: Physics and Arms Control (An Insider's Look At the Rise and Fall of the Nuclear Threat)
Sidney D. Drell
Manufacturer: American Institute of Physics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000U0GRPC

Product Description

This book collects articles presented or published by Drell on physics, physicists, Andrei Sakharov, the Cold War years, deterrence and arms control, Star Wars and scientists, progress, and prospects after the Cold War. Drell, deputy director of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and a past president of the American Physical Society, has long been active in international arms control issues, science policy, and human rights. "Brilliant expositions on elementary particle physics, and graceful eulogies on several well known physicists." Physics World "The book exudes the warmth of its author. It is often moving, at times funny, never dull, and sometimes quite profound." American Journal of Physics In the Shadow of the Bomb probes the theoretical constraints that underlie science policy questions, addresses past and developing themes in the arms control and national security debate, and discusses the underpinnings and morality of nuclear deterrence. Includes Drell's personal reminiscences of friends and colleagues, among them, Wolfgang K.H. Panofsky, T.D. Lee, and Victor F. Weisskopf. Several essays are devoted to Andrei Sakharov, with whom Drell enjoyed a close friendship.

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Praying in the Shadow of the Bomb
Mark Mills-Powell
Manufacturer: Grove Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PDI1IU

The shadow casters: My journey through war

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The shadow casters: My journey through war
Arthur B Unruh
Manufacturer: Pegasus Imaging Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Book Description

By the author of A Glastonbury Romance, a modern classic of psychological insight and humanity

Along with Wolf Solent, A Glastonbury Romance and Maiden Castle, this modern classic originally published in 1934, forms the quartet that "are just about the only novels produced by an English writer that can fairly be compared with the fictions of Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky." (George Steiner, The New Yorker). Drawing on his vivid childhood memories of the seaside town of Weymouth, Powys creates a striking collection of human oddities, through which he shows his deep sympathy for the variety, the eccentricity, the essential loneliness of human beings.

"To encounter Powys is to arrive at the very fount of creation." --Henry Miller

Customer Reviews:

At the end, a disappointment.......2007-03-19

Having read "Wolf Solent", Powys's first major novel of the period, I was excited to get hold of a copy of "Weymouth Sands".
The novel starts with the arrival at Weymouth of a young lady, Perdita, destined to become a companion to an upper-class local of rather strange temperament.

As usual with Powys, he gets right inside the heads of the major characters - and most of the minor characters, too - and this is Powys's major strength as a writer, his ability to make the characters truly three-dimensional. Somehow when we read Powy's work he has the ability to make us believe absolutely that the thoughts running through the minds of his characters are exactly "right".

The main character is "Jobber" Skald and this novel actually appeared in cut-down form as "Jobber Skald" - avoid that version and read Weymouth Sands, instead. The "jobber" spends most of the novel carrying a large stone in his pocket with which he intends to murder one of the novel's other main characters, a rich and singularly unlikable industrialist who has taken over the town's quarry.

Some of the characters seem to be analogues of characters in "Wolf Solent". For instance, one of the characters seems to suffer from sexual problems of a similar nature to a character in the earlier novel.
There are some wonderful characters to be found in the pages. One of them, a deranged local who wanders the seafront preaching to any who will listen, has a thing for young women and attracts them to his lodging, but falls foul of the local police and is incarcerated in an institution where an unlikable doctor practices vivisection.

Weymouth Sands is very readable and I anticipated finding some kind of denouement at the end, one that would render worthwhile the struggles of its characters. Sadly, Powys seems to have been unable or unwilling to finish the story with a bang, and the tale simply peters out in a rather unsatisfying way.

Therefore, overall, I find it a good read, though a lesser story than "Wolf Solent". Repetition rather than origination.

Phantasmagoric.......2006-12-07

This one seems to have been pulled from the most watery depths of Powys' imagination. It is saturated with an inscrutable feminine element, a mysterious plexus of forces. As much as I like most of his other books this one seems the most naturally magical, not as often forced as the others. The plot possibly suffers from his giving in to the dreamy depths of his imagination, but I welcome the richness of sheer strange atmosphere he manages because of this limitation.

Finding a gossamer-seed.......2006-08-30

Another extraordinary (and impossible to review, really) book from John Cowper Powys: The only things to which I can compare it are Proust, from whose depths Powys has clearly imbibed, and The Glastonbury Romance, except that this work seems much the much deeper and sadder of the two Powys works, touching on the subjects most dear to Powys, without any tangents regarding the Holy Grail legend etc. If one could put a name to the abiding undercurrent here, and one can't really, it would be Animism. Every dancing seaweed, incoming tide and rocky promontory seems suffused with a dynamic and personality of its own with a peculiar force over every character. This book is also the sadder of the two, but it is the sadness that arises from the unraveling of the deeps of human existence. Dostoyevsky is NOT the writer to which Powys should be compared---That writer is Proust. Powys is the only writer in English who comes even close to Proustian depths. Laurence Durrell made a stab at it in The Alexandria Quartet, but failed miserably----as far as his stated, hubristic intent to outdo both Proust AND Joyce in those four works. But Powys is not hubristic, thus his success. Becoming absorbed in this book, one eventually gets the feeling

"...as if there were always blowing a faint, supernatural wind through this world, holding a secret of assuagement for troubled hearts, that is only perceptible when it can find a straw, a feather, a gossamer-seed, a leaf, in the debris of circumstance light enough for it to stir." P.541

It is a lovely, sad (at times also comic), deep book of wisdom. Scarce wonder that Powys never made it into a hidebound English Lit. Syllabus!

So, read and take delight. You won't be graded!

A bit of a disapointment.......2000-12-21

First of all forgive my English, it is not my native tongue. Having read A Glastonburry Romance first and being overall pleased with it I was looking forward to reading this one. Overall it misses the mark in generally the same manner as Glastonburry does, the start of the book throws you in a new scenery, convincing enough and quite evocative and you get the feeling of truly being displaced and part of a new life (at least if you don't live around there)but the problem is that you are introduced to a large number of characters and story lines but none of them end up leading anywhere (a bit too much like normal life...). I mean what is the point of stepping into the minds and psychological processes of a dozen characters if nothing ends up happenning ? You keep reading quotes about Powys being the Dostoievsky of English literature but I plainly don't see it... I suggest you get any book from Dostoieivsky before this one (which is what I did)....

A calm, grey masterpiece.......1999-06-22

Powys's scene is the overarching image for this silent, serene, sad book. The sands at Weymouth, and the sea lapping, or crashing, on them reflect the human drama, the human heart. The book is filled with unforgettable people, and Powys delves quietly beneath their conventional surfaces to reveal their torment, joy, longing.

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Weymouth Sands

Manufacturer: Colgate University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HZ0R2E

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Weymouth Sands
John Cowper Powys
Manufacturer: Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OIXNWK

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Weymouth Sands
John Cowper Powys
Manufacturer: New York, NY, U.S.A.: Overlook Press, The
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NZWQJU

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Weymouth Sands
John Cowper Powys
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GZYPNW

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Weymouth Sands
John Cowper Powys
Manufacturer: PENGUIN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OLLI42

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