Many people know Edward Teller as the "Father of the H-Bomb." To
his supporters he was a hero of the Cold War. To his detractors he
was evil personified. Between these extremes was the life of the
real man. In this definitive and comprehensive biography, a
personal acquaintance of Teller's presents a balanced portrait of
the multifaceted and enigmatic scientist against the backdrop of a
turbulent period of history. Taking pains to avoid bias and
preconceptions, thr author critically examines Teller's
personality, family background, and the experiences that guided his
actions-correcting many of the myths that others and Teller himself
promulgated. Drawing for the first time on hitherto unknown
archival material from Hungarian, American, and German sources, the
author provides fresh insights that help the reader to understand
Teller's motivations, his relationships with friends and foes, and
his driven personality. In addition to this research and his own
memories of Teller, Hargittai has interviewed such prominent
figures as Richard Garwin, Freeman Dyson, George A. Keyworth, and
Wendy Teller (Edward Teller's daughter), among others. The author
reviews the significant facets of Teller's life: his
Jewish-Hungarian origins, forced emigrations, brilliance in
science, and devotion to the defense of the United States. He
discusses Teller's ruthless Machiavellism in achieving his goals,
which included his pivotal role in the creation of the hydrogen
bomb and the second weapons laboratory at Livermore, as well as his
damaging testimony against physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Teller's peers viewed this testimony as a betrayal and, in effect,
sent him into internal exile, which Hargittai describes as more
tormenting to him than his previous emigrations. The author notes
that Teller was sometimes called "a monomaniac with many manias,"
such as his fierce opposition to nuclear test bans during the Cold
War and, toward the end of his life, his role as propagandist for
the Strategic Defense Initiative. Yet, his very excesses may have
in fact contributed to the demise of the Soviet Union. Who was
Edward Teller-the real "Dr. Strangelove," the driven crusader for
the H-Bomb, the villain who destroyed Oppenheimer, or the devoted
husband, loyal friend, patriot, and strongly idealistic scientist?
This monumental work will reveal the contradictory nature of this
complex man in all his strengths, flaws, and brilliance.
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