Brotherhood of the Bomb: The Tangled Lives and Loyalties of Robert Oppenheimer, Ernest Lawrence, and Edward Teller: Herken, Gregg: 9780805065893: Amazon.com: Books

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Brotherhood of the Bomb: The Tangled Lives and Loyalties of Robert Oppenheimer, Ernest Lawrence, and Edward Teller Paperback – September 1, 2003

by Gregg Herken (Author)

91

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Gregg Herken's Brotherhood of the Bomb is the fascinating story of the men who founded the nuclear age, fully told for the first time

The story of the twentieth century is largely the story of the power of science and technology. Within that story is the incredible tale of the human conflict between Robert Oppenheimer, Ernest Lawrence, and Edward Teller-the scientists most responsible for the advent of weapons of mass destruction.

How did science-and its practitioners-enlisted in the service of the state during the Second World War, become a slave to its patron during the Cold War? The story of these three men, builders of the bombs, is fundamentally about loyalty-to country, to science, and to each other-and about the wrenching choices that had to be made when these allegiances came into conflict.

Gregg Herken gives us the behind-the-scenes account based upon a decade of research, interviews, and newly released Freedom of Information Act and Russian documents. Brotherhood of the Bomb is a vital slice of American history told authoritatively-and grippingly-for the first time.

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Print length

480 pages
Language

English
Publication date

September 1, 2003
Dimensions

5.5 x 1.03 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

080506589X
ISBN-13

978-0805065893
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“The most commanding history yet written of the internal politics of the United States during the early years of the nuclear age . . . an enthralling narrative.” ―The New York Times Book Review

“The story is well-crafted and meticulously researched, drawing on recently declassified FBI files and documents, and it moves at a helter-skelter pace . . . a gripping account of three tangled lives.” ―The Washington Post World

“A well-written, well-documented, exciting and yet unhappy tale of a crucial encounter between science and politics.” ―Los Angeles Times

About the Author

Gregg Herken is a curator and historian at the Smithsonian Institution and has taught at Oberlin, Caltech, and Yale. He is the author of The Winning Weapon, Counsels of War , and Cardinal Choices and received a MacArthur grant for Brotherhood of the Bomb. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Holt Paperbacks; First Edition (September 1, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 480 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 080506589X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0805065893
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.03 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #941,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #441 in Nuclear Weapons & Warfare History (Books)
- #1,887 in Scientist Biographies
- #7,177 in United States Biographies

Customer Reviews:
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4.3 out of 5

91 global ratings

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Information that is not readily available.

Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2024

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Contained info that is not readily available to the public, makes you aware of what the people really went through to bring in the nuclear age, and some other things that happened that surprised me.

Nice Piece of Scholarship, but Not for Most Newcomers

Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2013

Verified Purchase

The reviews saying that this book is poorly written are being quite melodramatic. I would say that the text is mechanically written, in a number of places throughout the text. However, the text isn't poorly written, and it also has remarkable literary merits. I was probably more confused about the aesthetic brilliance supplied within the text by Herken's observation of the links between an individual's character and their penchant for some particular variety of music, juxtaposed with the general lack of flowery prose, turns of phrase, or what have you. Then again, the text is filled with fantastic narrative devices, imagery, and so forth. This, I thought, was a peculiar blend. When one finds aesthetic sensibilities in an author, such tends to pervade the work: when do we see such wonderful imagery but lackluster prose? Aside from this, the story is a good one, finely constructed; but one needs to keep in perspective what's going on in this work. There is basically (prior to Herken's book) an Oppenheimer industry and atomic-bomb industry of literature; Herken couldn't just write the same book everyone else has, and so I think it is essential to acknowledge that this is not a book that is particularly written for the neophyte (though I think it permits some amount of access, despite this). In that same vein, this is a thoroughly researched work that was intended to add to the literature of the subject, and not, primarily, for the purposes of servicing "pop history." Therefore, those new to the subject, or those not interested in an especially convoluted narrative that doesn't spell absolutely everything out, this is not the book for you.

One seeking an history that frames the rise of Big Science and its relationship to the development of the bomb can look no further. This book does a fantastic job of telling that story. It achieves this through looking at two sets of triumvirates, one in the world of physics, one in the world of politics/administration/power, i.e., Teller, Lawrence, and Oppenheimer, and Groves, Conant, and Bush, respectively. Through the stories of these individuals (I think Herken has called the book as a whole a "triography," so maybe there are really two triographies.), he develops a very cohesive and consistent mesh, out of which a whole manifests. Another interesting point that should be made is the general difference in tone that this book has compared to other WWI and WWII era books: while nearly all of these books tell convoluted stories where one set of events necessarily seems to fall out of another, making the historical progression inevitable, Herken is telling a story of contingency. Nothing makes this clearer than the ethical debates and the spontaneous acts of judgment, in which there is no necessity in what follows. There is a marked contrast between the necessity of possessing the bomb prior to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the debates over whether it is ethical to possess weapons of greater strength, for example.

Essentially, I would recommend this to folks who have read some history of WWII (there are almost no markers in this book regarding what is actually happening on the war fronts), history of the atomic bomb, or a fairly high-level of reading ability. I also advise reading the book as a piece of literature as much as history, paying special attention to the imagery, associations, metaphors, and like literary devices.

7 people found this helpful

The Intertwined Lives of Three Geniuses

Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2014

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The Manhattan Project brought together the most geniuses, near-geniuses, and Nobel Prize winners at one time ever in history to work towards a common goal. This book focuses on three of these scientists and their interactions during the crucial time of the development of the atomic bomb and the years beyond as newer and more powerful bombs were developed. The scientists at the center of this biographical and historical study are J. Robert Oppenheimer, Ernest Lawrence, and Edward Teller.

No matter how smart, how accomplished, or how successful these geniuses were, they were still underneath it all human beings with all of the frailties, jealousies, and emotions that are part of every non-genius. This book does an excellent job of exploring the backgrounds of each of the three scientists and how they were forced to work together towards the goal of solving the mysteries of building working and dependable weapons of mass destruction in spite of their personal and professional politics, disagreements, and jealousy.

Oppenheimer's problems with the FBI and his security clearance after the war are covered as well, which ultimately brought an end to his involvement in the work on future bomb research.

The book is meticulously researched and includes extensive notes.

Recommended.

4 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Good behind the scenes story.

Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2022

Verified Purchase

This volume is an excellent companion to the Richard Rhodes Pulitzer winning book on the same subject. Recommend.

ONE TANGLED TALE

Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2017

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As the story of the development of nuclear weapons the personalities of the principle scientists are as complex as the science involved! However, Herken did a good job of explaining one of the most interesting and important events in not only the history of science but in all of human history!

One person found this helpful

Robert V. Rose, retired education researcher

Historically fascinating.

Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2012

Verified Purchase

This book is a fascinating recounting of the American development of the atom bomb.

It's particularly interesting to me, because I was born in 1938, and the described history is basically my own.

The problem is that (especially at my age) it's hard to remember all the facts told.

The most interesting question: Was Robert Oppenheimer actually a Soviet spy? Answer: perhaps not, but his brother was, and R.O. no doubt was aware of that fact.

One person found this helpful

Raul V. Campos Garcia

Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2012

Verified Purchase

I was interested in this very interesting project, but I didn't expected to find so well researched and seriously written book, it's a real page turner, it is dificult to pause the reading all along.
It places the importance and describes thoroughly the personalities of all major Physicists of XX century. It also gives a taste of the complex technical aspects of the project as ocurred in historical dates.

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Connects the dots

Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2016

Verified Purchase

This book is interesting because it "connects the dots" between stories that have been told elsewhere. It treats the production of the atomic bomb and the H bomb as a continuous narrative, spanning the end of WWII. And it explains better what Eisenhower's viewpoint was about Oppenheimer. I'm not sure it's the whole truth but it's a reasonable reading of history.

One person found this helpful

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Brian R. Martin

Scientists are human

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 1, 2013

Verified Purchase

The story of how the first atomic fission weapons were developed has been told many times from different perspectives. This account starts by focusing on the interactions between the three most important contributing scientists - Oppenheimer, Lawrence and Teller. None of them were of the very highest caliber as scientists (the work for which Lawrence won his Nobel Prize was achieved more by the force of his personality that his scientific insights) but each had a huge influence on the bomb's development. Their backgrounds could hardly have been different. Lawrence was the son of Norwegian immigrants; Oppenheimer's family was well off and highly cultured Jews; Teller's family was Hungarian immigrants. Likewise, their personalities and political beliefs. Lawrence was a conservative mid-westerner, with a huge confidence in his abilities not always borne out by results, Oppenheimer was an enigmatic figure who flirted with extreme left-wing views, whereas Teller was an extravert hardline right-winger with an intense distrust of communism. The author gives a very good account of the history that lead to the decision to make the bomb and the establishment of the Los Alamos laboratory under the direction of Oppenheimer. The origins of the later disputes and mistrust between the three started in this early period, but were somewhat suppressed by the need to work together to produce a successful weapon.

After the war, the big question was should America try to produce a fusion bomb, and it was over this that long-standing resentments surfaced. Teller had during the war urged its production as a matter of great urgency, whereas Oppenheimer had advocated its postponement. Instead he believed that the production of a range of different types of fission weapons should be the priority. Teller and Lawrence both came to believe that Oppenheimer was crippling research on fusion weapons because of his political views, and Oppenheimer did not help matters by inexplicably lying about his left-wing connections when he came under investigation by the FBI, whose odious Director Edgar Hoover authorized illegal wiretaps in Oppenheimer's home and the offices of his lawyers. The result was that in a loyalty hearing, Oppenheimer's security clearance was revoked. It was the anti-Oppenheimer statement given by Teller at this hearing that finally broke their strained relationship. Teller remained active in the nuclear weapons programme for many years after Oppenheimer's death, but after the hearing was always a pariah to most of the scientific community.

This book shows how scientists of great ability are as human as the rest of mankind when it comes to making judgments outside their sphere of expertise, and that they can even be duplicitous, cruel and irrational. It also gives an excellent feeling for the paranoia that existed about communism in 1950's American. It is meticulously researched and tells a fascinating story extremely well.

One person found this helpful

Kajda

Brotherhood of the Bomb

Reviewed in Germany on May 15, 2011

Verified Purchase

Das Buch ist eine exzellente Biographie von Robert Oppenheimer, die die sicherlich komplexe Persönlichkeit des Wissenschaftlers deutlich werden lässt, und sein Leben in der Zeit turbulenter politischer Verhältnisse beschreibt. Es ist daher auch sehr lehrreich diese Biographie zu lesen, wenn man den Zeitraum, der den Rest des zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts so prägend bestimmt hat, besser verstehen will.
Das Buch wurde übersetzt und ist zwischenzeitlich auch in Deutsch erschienen.

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simon holland

FBI report into bomb espionage...not enough science for me

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 12, 2021

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i'm researching the birth of the hydrogen bomb. thus book was part of my selected reading list. fascinating history into the politics and skull dugery of the manhattan project but light on the nuclear science i wanted. enjoy it, if you want an insight into the espionage and paranoia of the period.

One person found this helpful

Ilpo Lagerstedt

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 26, 2016

Verified Purchase

OK thank you. -IL

ian

The Mysterious Affair at Styles ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 16, 2015

Verified Purchase

spilled the beans on nuclear bomb testing.

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