Nuclear Weapons and the Cold War

Nuclear Weapons and the Cold War

Introduction

• The development of nuclear weapons profoundly changed life over the last eighty years.

• The science and technology exist to develop weapons capable of destroying the planet.

• The concept of atomic warfare originated in science fiction, later adopted by physicists.

The Role of Nuclear Weapons in Creating the Cold War

• Nuclear weapons were crucial in shaping the Cold War.

• Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) with megaton warheads allowed for the potential destruction of entire civilizations without invasion forces.

• Without nuclear weapons, geopolitical tensions would have resembled World War II dynamics, with conventional warfare involving European and Asian armies.

• Nuclear weapons enabled a global cold war of influence and pressure, distinct from conventional (non-nuclear) warfare.

Current Nuclear Tensions

• High tensions exist between India and Pakistan, both possessing significant nuclear arsenals.

• India has a larger military asset base (3:1 ratio) compared to Pakistan, but their nuclear arsenals are relatively close in size.

• A nuclear exchange between these densely populated countries would result in astronomical death tolls and catastrophic long-term impacts.

• China is increasing its nuclear arsenal, aiming for around 700 warheads.

• Chinese rocket forces have faced purges due to corruption (e.g., warheads filled with water), indicating instability.

• The United States and Russia possess the largest nuclear arsenals, with approximately 5,000 warheads each and thousands more in storage.

• These arsenals have the potential to destroy life on Earth multiple times over.

• Newer non-nuclear technologies may possess similar destructive capabilities.

• During the Cold War, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) formed as a security pact against the Soviet bloc (Warsaw Pact).

• After the Soviet Union's collapse, NATO was expected to disarm, but it did not, leading to significant American funding.

• In a catastrophic war between NATO and Russia, the American nuclear umbrella serves as the first

• Europe is preparing for potential conflict, influenced by the Russian war in Ukraine and historical differences between Russia and Continental Europe.

• France is advocating for its own nuclear umbrella to protect against nuclear threats.

• Currently, Europe relies on America's nuclear umbrella through NATO.

• Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, and Italy host American nuclear weapons that can be used with American permission.

• In a catastrophic war between NATO and Russia, the American nuclear umbrella serves as the first line of defense.

• Without American consent, European nations cannot use these weapons.

• France and the United Kingdom are the only thermonuclear powers in Europe, possessing nuclear firepower about one-third the size of Russia's arsenal.

The Evolving Nature of Nuclear Threats

• The nuclear threat is re-emerging (2.0 version) with potentially more usable, less destructive nuclear technologies.

NATO and Trump's Perspective

• During the Cold War, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) formed as a security pact against the Soviet bloc (Warsaw Pact).

• After the Soviet Union's collapse, NATO was expected to disarm, but it did not, leading to significant American funding.

• Trump argued that European nations should increase their military spending to contribute to their defense.

• He viewed European nations as freeloaders and expressed skepticism about the need for American protection after 1990.

• Trump suggested that without increased European defense spending, Putin might have free rein in Europe.

• Media reports inaccurately portrayed Trump as encouraging Russia to attack, which was not his intention.

• NATO outguns Russia in conventional forces, but Russia possesses greater nuclear firepower.

• In a nuclear exchange, the United States retains the option to not intervene, despite security alliances.

• France has been assertive in urging other nations to confront Russia, reflecting long-term grudges.

The Bomb as a Game Changer: Leverage and Disadvantage

• The race for larger and more numerous bombs intensifies the ability to coerce and diplomatically or economically disadvantage the opposing bloc.

• This dynamic focuses on leverage, which explains some of Trump's policies.

• Trump and Putin are not traditional politicians, which challenges the existing world order.

• The pursuit of geographical or technological advantages drives the deployment of technologies, exemplified by Cuba.

• This strategic positioning is about achieving leverage and creating disadvantage for the opponent.

The Untold Story: The Nazi-Allied Race for the Bomb

• Focus on the 1930s: The initial race involved Nazis and Allies.

  • Question: Could a device of immense power using nuclear fission/fusion be created?

  • The untold history raises questions about Germany's lack of atomic bomb development.

  • Despite German leadership in nuclear physics, the standard narrative lacks sense.

Two Schools of Thought

• Two explanations exist for why Germany didn't develop the bomb and why the Allies did.

  • Standard Narrative:

    • German physicists deliberately slowed progress to prevent Hitler from obtaining the bomb.

    • German physicists lacked the knowledge or resources due to Nazi politics and racial issues.

  • Counter Narrative:

    • The Germans had significant industrial capacity, as evidenced by the V-2 ballistic missile program and underground facilities.

• Prominent physicists like Leo Szilard feared German atomic capabilities after Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner split the atom in 1938.

• Szilard sought Einstein's endorsement for a letter to President Roosevelt, urging the U.S. to invest in atomic bomb development to counter the German threat.

The Peculiarities of the American Atomic Bomb Development

• Hiroshima Bomb: It was dropped without prior testing, which is unusual given its significance.

• Trinity Test: The test device used in the Alamogordo Desert was a fusion bomb, unlike the Hiroshima bomb.

  • Argument: No test was required because success was guaranteed.

Epilogue: The Fenris Option

• The novel highlights the mystery surrounding the German's failure to develop the atomic bomb, despite their initial progress.

• Character Pierce reflects on the peculiarity of Germany's lack of effort in atomic development, considering Hitler's ambitions.

Classified Information and Schools of Thought

• There may be primary sources that remain unleaded and still classified in places like Wright Patterson Airfield.

• Those files are called "secret german files" and contain 1.5 thousand tons of material.

• Schools of Thought:

  • Apologetic Myth: The German physicists didn't build the bomb due to moral concerns, as they knew the destructive power and Hitler's character.

  • Polemic View: The Germans are not smart and Nazism prohibited them from doing so.

Post War Perspectives and Moral Dilemmas

• German scientists tried to make themselves appear righteous in the postwar world.

• German scientists began by claiming they knew what to do, but tried not to in order to create a virtuous image.

• Career concerns: The German scientists knew their could no longer have careers in the postwar.

• German scientists take the moral high ground about the fact that the Americans dropped the bomb and not them.

The Apologetic Myth and the German Physicists

• Leading figures like Werner Heisenberg claimed the physicists didn't want to build the bomb on principle.

• They portrayed the German focus as peaceful uranium engine development under Hitler, contrasting it with the American development of a weapon.

• This helped the americans when they put the atomic program under what what's called "Operation Paperclip" because they were hiring war criminals.

• German physicists claimed the bomb was not feasible and focused on energy development.

Robert Jungk and Brighter Than a Thousand Suns

• Robert Jungk, an Austrian Jewish journalist, interviewed German physicists and promoted the idea that they emphasized energy and opposed Hitler's bomb.

• His book, Brighter Than a Thousand Suns, supported the lazat notion by the German scientists.

Samuel Goldschmidt and the Polemic View

• Samuel Goldschmidt, a Jewish scientist who lost his parents in the Holocaust, promoted the polemic view that the Germans were unintelligent and incapable of developing a bomb due to their Nazi affiliations. And thus, are not to be taken seriously.

• These two contrasting viewpoints shape the understanding of the German atomic program.

Epic Meeting - Copenhagen

• This takes place between Werner Heisenberg and Niels Bohr.

• Some believe Heisenberg tried to recruit Niels Bohr to assist the nazi party/cause.

• Or Heisenberg trying to have Niels Bohr convince the allies that German Physicists are doing a go slow on the project.

David Irving's Contribution

• David Irving is a controversial figure for being a holocaust denier who was ultimately banned.

• He wrote Germany's Atomic Research and Allied Countermeasures in 1967, where he was brilliant and gave a dash of admiration for the germans.

• After David Irving, these two german physicists, Kurt Debner and Gottfried go onto a more secretive research project to the point they ended up doing right after the war.

Power's Book - Heisenberg's War, The Secret History of German Atom Bomb

• Power used letters to show that there's some sort of sabotage.

• The letter suddenly started to go missing with their authenticity questioned.

• Heisenberg doesn't mind this which makes people believe he is starting to tell fibs because now he is playing the card we didn't want to but now, we were smart enough.

Sherwood Rose and Walker VS Power

• Sherwood rose argues very much that Power's view is tragically absurd.

• Powers tries the argument they wanted a reactor and bomb.

• Walker then stated as an attempt to push for the argument of him (Heisenberg) killing it is not that supported by the evidence.

The Polemic Myth

• Here it essentially starts with Goldschmidt.

• The Dutch Jewish Physician said that Nazism prevented them from doing it (creating the bomb).

General Leslie Groves - Running The Nuclear Program at Manhattan

• Wrote a book called "Now It Can Be Told" where he created the notion that there is only one way of creating the bomb and that is the way Americans did it.

Paul Rose Minded Book

• This book really goes that the German mindset is very much is different than the other and that they don't view the bomb that way.

• This is a very peculiar argument because it then takes the standpoint that no human can now understand the other's cultures and why they are that way.

The Stasis Myth

• Germany built a bomb nor no one tried to no one had the attempt.

• This is a current accepted view.

• Walker stated in his book - Myth and the German Atomic Bomb can be summoned in a single question and that is: Would German Scientists Have Made Atomic Bombs For Hitler?