Building the Bombs; A History of the Nuclear Weapons Complex

xviii, 262 pages. Abbreviations & Acronyms. Illustrations (some in color). References. Glossary. Bibliography. Index. Cover has slight wear and soiling. Charles Loeber spent over 40 years in the Nuclear Weapons Complex (NWC), which includes 18 years with the Department of Energy (DOE) as a Program Manager, and 10 years with Sandia National Labs. In 1991, as the Cold War was ending, Charles was asked to manage the DOE's Nonnuclear Reconfiguration Program where he was responsible for closing sites that brought the NWC to its current size. Charles retired from the DOE in 1994 and then joined Sandia where he helped establish their neutron generator production capability. He is a past-President of the National Atomic Museum Foundation. He also served as the Project Manager to build the new National Museum of Nuclear Science and History in Albuquerque, which opened in 2009. In 1998 he began to capture this story in writing. He finished this manuscript in 2001 and donated it to Sandia as a public service. In 2002, Sandia decided to publish this work and make it available for training at the Lab. They also made it available to the public. This book presents a clear overview of the government-owned, contractor-operated laboratories and plants that designed, produced, and tested all nuclear weapons for the United States. It traces the history of that nuclear weapons complex (NWC) from its origins in the Manhattan Project to its current status as the National Security Administration (NSA) of the Department of Energy. The readable text is enhanced with illustrations, charts, and interesting episodes. An epilogue provides the author's answers to common questions about the NWC. Appendices include the agreement between the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the Department of Defense (DOD) on responsibilities for nuclear weapons (1953), The National Environmental Policy Act (1970), and a brief summary of nuclear weapons treaties from 1963 to 1997.…