War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Rudolf Peierls, 1986
Description:
Rudolph Peierls was a German-born, British physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project. He begins by providing some basic scientific information about fission and its use in a weapon, then describes some of his early work and discoveries related to the separation of uranium isotopes, as well as the impact of his work on British nuclear efforts. He notes the irony of briefly being ruled ineligible to work on his project further because of his alien status. He also comments on the origins of the name of the Maud Committee. Describing Britain's cooperative relationship with the United States, he recalls it as being "very checkered." His reactions to the Trinity test and the Hiroshima explosion are recorded, as are his memories of Klaus Fuchs and the impact of his espionage. Concluding, the most surprising aspect of the recent nuclear period has been the intensity of the arms race, given how few weapons are required to form an effective deterrent.
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