Abstract :
In a television dramatization reaching the homes of millions of Americans a few months ago, Edward Teller, often referred to as the father of the hydrogen bomb, was pictured standing in a Los Alamos, N.M., living room before J. Robert Oppenheimer, sometimes called the father of the atomic bomb. Dr. Teller was holding in his hand a petition signed by many engineers and scientists and sent to him by the physicist Leo Szilard. It called on the U.S. government to demonstrate an atomic bomb publicly The hope was that the Japanese would surrender if they witnessed the destructive power of the bomb, thereby saving thousands of lives. Though inclined to sign it, Dr. Teller wanted his director´s permission.
