The Hydrogen Bomb: How President Truman Pushed for the Creation of the Super

The result of World War II illustrated to the world the significant impact that scientists could, and would in the future; have when it came to the art of war. And now that the ideas behind constructing the atomic bomb were known and understood to the members of the scientific community, it simply led to scientists to attempt in creating a weapon that would be even more effective than the atomic bomb. Granted the fact that scientists were aware that their findings could have other effects, positive ones, on the world, they were nonetheless aware that their findings would be used in war. Regardless, the influential impact that scientists had on war resulted in members of the scientific community in becoming more involved with politics and national security.

Yet, the immediate response following World War II was that there was no pressure to build a new bomb. As time passed, American scientists familiarized themselves with the new weapon, having both more potential and power than the atomic bomb, referred to as the hydrogen bomb or the super, a nuclear weapon that produces a large amount of its energy through nuclear fusion and can be over a thousand times more powerful in comparison to the atomic bomb. Yet, “the idea of such a bomb had arisen entirely within the scientific, and there it initially remained”. Unfortunately American scientists very well knew that it was only a matter of time before the development of the hydrogen bomb became possible and as Teller said, “It is out of our powers to prevent it. All that we can do is to retard its completion by some years”. Teller spoke of slowing down the construction of the hydrogen bomb because he, along with a number of other American scientists, was conscious of the potential damages and killing power that a weapon such as the super could cause.

As the potential for international control became smaller due to the Communist Soviets and the impact they were having on other countries, Truman and the United States government concluded that it would be necessary for the United States to represent their power through scientific developments, most notable the hydrogen bomb. Furthermore, due to lobbying by scientists, military leaders and members of the Congress, it was agreed upon that the United States had no other choice but to embark on a “crash program to build the H-Bomb”. However, unlike the atomic bomb, which was connected to peaceful reactor progress, the hydrogen bomb was “strictly weapons development”.

On the contrary, a number of scientists and influential individuals disagreed with the “crash program” to construct the hydrogen bomb. The General Advisory Committee's Majority and Minority Reports on building the hydrogen bomb stated that even if the Russians were to succeed in constructing such a weapon, the fact that we, the United States, did not partake in the “race” to build the hydrogen bomb would be a “deterrent to them”, them being the Soviet Union. Along with that, the members of the committee were aware that the use of such a weapon would “bring about the destruction of innumerable human lives”, and for that reason, the refuted the idea of building the hydrogen bomb. Nonetheless, as time passed, the appearance of the hydrogen bomb was made more and more frightening, resulting in the public and the government to fear that the Soviets would get their hands on such weapons first. And for that reason, President Truman concluded that it was necessary for the United States to construct the hydrogen bomb.

In the beginning of 1951, President Truman informed the United States that work would be done in hope of successfully building the hydrogen bomb. “I have directed the Atomic Energy Commission to continue its work on all forms of atomic weapons, including the so-called hydrogen or superbomb Like all other work in the field of atomic weapons, it is being carried forward on a basis consistent with the overall objectives of our program for peace and security. This we shall continue to do until a satisfactory plan for international control of atomic energy is achieved.”

As President Truman stated above, the reason for creating such a powerful weapon as the hydrogen bomb was simply a means to uphold peace and national security. Though I hate to believe that deadly weapons must be created in order to preserve national security, I agree with the move that President Truman made, most notably because he did it to make his fellow American feel safe. In addition, I feel that Truman did what he did because he was aware that if the United States possessed such power, the Soviet Union would not only be forced into a stalemate, a scenario that would later prove to be true, but the United States would further illustrate their intelligence and power.