Better a Shield Than a Sword: Perspectives on the Defense and Technology

A controversial scientist offers personal reflections on physicists such as Einstein, Szilard, and Fermi, views of the events at Los Alamos and the Oppenheimer affair, and his stance on arms control and nuclear policy

This first-person account, not all of it new, may not change opinion about Teller, a controversial, anti-communist conservative; but it will lead toward better understanding of his role in science and politics. Teller records his early years in Hungary, his escape from Nazism, his attachment to America, his role in developing the atomic and hydrogen bombs, his close association with other scientists and political figures. A central theme is an unswerving support of President Reagan's militant military and defense policy and a strong desire to prevent war. He calls for technological innovations by scientists, who must bear heavy moral responsibilities. This is a forceful and revealing book on the man, his personal credo, and the events of history which bear his lasting imprint. Clifton E. Wilson, Political Science Dept., Univ. of Arizona, Tucson
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.