Ebook: Atomic shield, 1947-1952. A History of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, Vol. 2

Oak Ridge: USA EC Technical Information Center, 1972. – 748 pp.
(Book + foto only).
Atomic Shield, the second volume in a historical series, begins in January, 1947, when the Commission assumed responsibility for the nation's atomic energy program; it ends with the detonation of the first thermonuclear device and the Presidential election in November, 1952.
. The most troubling deletions come in sections describing weapon development. Here again we think our narrative is not misleading, but the deletions and glossing over of details blunts the truth and fails to present the best case for the individuals involved. The best example of this problem is our description of the development of the thermonuclear weapon. Classification did not permit us to convey accurately the fundamental differences between the "Super" and the "New Super" (the latter a term we were obliged to coin to conceal the true name, which is still classified). Nor have we been able to tell all of the fascinating story of how new ideas evolved at Los Alamos in early 1951 to create the "New Super." We have studied at great length the contributions of Stanislaw Ulam and Edward Teller to this achievement, but we know that the unclassified version in Chapter 16 does not contain the evidence to support our conclusions. In this respect we have not given proper credit to either man. This is the price the historian of recent events must pay, but we believe that our own truncated version is better than nothing at all. It may still be decades before all the important facts become public knowledge; in the meantime the American people are entitled to all the information that can be released on these vital decisions.Contents.
Foreword.
Preface.
The terrible responsibility.
Uncertain mandate.
First venture.
The peaceful image.
Call to arms.
Nuclear arsenal.
Atomic power: quandary and quagmire.
Research: new approaches to a new age.
Cooperation with the British: untangling the alliance.
Cooperation with the British: anxiety and tension.
The art of administration.
Decision of destiny.
Twilight zone, february—june, 1950.
Changing patterns of administration.
Science: shield of the free world?
Quest for the Super.
Forging the atomic shield.
End of the quest.
Sources.
Notes.
Appendices.
Index.