ACCESSING CLASSIFIED FILES
Decrypting documents...
Your connection is being monitored
Overview
Hungarian-American theoretical physicist known as the father of the hydrogen bomb. Key figure in the development of thermonuclear weapons that were thousands of times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Japan. Instrumental in destroying J. Robert Oppenheimer's security clearance in 1954, effectively ending the career of the scientist who had moral objections to the H-bomb. Lifelong advocate for nuclear weapons proliferation, the Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars), and opponent of nuclear test ban treaties.
Key Affiliations
Controversies & Concerns
Drove development of hydrogen bomb thousands of times more powerful than Hiroshima weapon despite scientific opposition
Testified against J. Robert Oppenheimer in 1954 security hearing, destroying career of fellow Manhattan Project scientist
Lobbied against nuclear test ban treaties for decades, enabling continued atmospheric testing that exposed millions to fallout
Advocated for Project Plowshare using nuclear explosions for civil engineering including creating harbors and canals
Pushed for Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars) program costing $30+ billion with no viable results
Promoted nuclear weapons testing despite evidence of widespread radiation-related health effects on downwinders
Co-founded Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory specifically to develop thermonuclear weapons
Related Investigations (1)
Criminal Charges & Violations
2 documented violations
Ethical Violations - Scientific CommunityTestimony against Oppenheimer widely regarded as betrayal that destroyed a colleague for political reasons; later acknowledged as unjust by AEC(ethics)
Public Health - Promotion of Nuclear TestingActively lobbied against test ban treaties enabling continued atmospheric testing that caused cancer clusters among downwinders and veterans(human-rights)
Known Associates & Connections
J. Robert Oppenheimer
Manhattan Project director whose career Teller helped destroy through security hearing testimony
Stanislaw Ulam
Mathematician who co-developed the Teller-Ulam thermonuclear weapon design
Ronald Reagan
President who relied on Teller's advice for the Strategic Defense Initiative program
Sources & Documentation
3 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports
Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb by Richard Rhodes(1995)
DOE OpenNet: Declassified Nuclear Testing Documents(2023)
Atomic Heritage Foundation: Edward Teller Profile(2023)
Personal Information
- Born
- 1908-01-15
- Birthplace
- Budapest, Austria-Hungary
- Also Known As
- Father of the Hydrogen Bomb, Dr. Strangelove (inspiration)
Education
- •Ph.D. in Physics, University of Leipzig (1930)
- •Research Fellow, University of Göttingen (1931)
Key Timeline
1908-01-15
Born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary
1935
Emigrates to United States; joins George Washington University faculty
1943
Joins Manhattan Project at Los Alamos; pushes for thermonuclear weapon development
1949-08
Soviet Union detonates first atomic bomb; Teller lobbies for crash H-bomb program
1950
Truman approves hydrogen bomb development over objections of many scientists
1952-11-01
First hydrogen bomb (Ivy Mike) detonated at Enewetak Atoll; 10.4 megatons, 700x Hiroshima
1952
Co-founds Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as second nuclear weapons lab
1954-04
Testifies against J. Robert Oppenheimer at AEC security hearing; Oppenheimer loses clearance
1954-03-01
Castle Bravo H-bomb test yields 15 megatons (2.5x expected); irradiates Marshall Islanders and Japanese fishermen
1963
Opposes Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty; lobbies Congress against ratification
1983
Advises Reagan on Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars) missile defense program
2003-01-15
Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush
2003-09-09
Dies in Stanford, California at age 95