Question

What was the initial decision of the scientific commission, created by President Truman, and chaired by Manhattan Project director Robert Oppenheimer, on the question of whether or not a hydrogen bomb program should be pursued?

Answer 1

The Initial decision of the Committe was not pursue any initiatives in the development of hydrogen bomb. Although the decision was not unanimous among the members, it was felt that US should not participate in the development of weapons of mass destruction.

The report of the committe was in three parts. Part I dealt with the development of nuclear weapons and recommended expansion of facilities for producing plutonium and Uranium isotopes. Part II of the report discussed the implications of developing such weapons and drew attention to the power of such thermonuclear weapons. It also addressed the difficulties in developing a working model of the bomb.

It was in Part III the members addressed the issue of hydrogen bomb directly and felt that efforts and resources of US should not be pursued in this direction to produce weapons of mass destruction.