In October 1949, US President Harry Truman brought together a group of physicists, nicknamed the wise men, and asked whether the US should develop a weapon that would make atomic bombs look like nothing. The resulting report, written by J Robert Oppenheimer and other physicists, recommended not to produce "the super bomb," a thermonuclear bomb or warhead, thousands of times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, citing that "mankind would be far better off not to have a demonstration of the feasibility of such a weapon until the present climate of world opinion changes."
A dispassionate observer from Mars would see that once the Soviet Union had developed the bomb, it would be necessary for the US to use theirs to control and prevent any future use.
In this episode, the possibility of creating a super weapon more powerful than atomic bombs is discussed, along with the ethical concerns and the history of humans pursuing power in weaponry.
After the Soviet Union demonstrated its atomic power, President Harry Truman had to make the decision whether or not to build the hydrogen bomb, which would have the power to destroy the world, with the help of advisors like J. Robert Oppenheimer. Truman, a normal human being put in an unimaginable situation, had to make difficult decisions about whether or not creating such a weapon was the right choice for humanity.
In October 1949, physicist Robert Oppenheimer and his colleagues were asked to develop the next level of weaponry above atomic weapons, a hydrogen bomb. The physicists jointly issued a report urging against its creation, believing that mankind was not yet evolved enough for such a deadly weapon, and that there was a unique opportunity to limit the totality of war and thus limit fear and arouse hope by not building the super bomb.
Scientists and government officials grapple with the ethical implications of building a weapon that could cause massive natural catastrophes and leave unresolvable enmities for generations. While some argue it is necessary for national security, others say it goes beyond any military objective and enters the range of genocide.