Uncommon Knowledge Archive: Oppenheimer’s Edward Teller and Sid Drell on ICBM Defense Systems | Uncommon Knowledge | Peter Robinson | Hoover Institution
Jan 30, 2024
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Edward Teller, a nuclear physicist and key figure in Oppenheimer, and Sidney Drell, a nuclear arms control expert, debate the necessity and regulations of nuclear weapons in the late 20th century. They discuss President Reagan's defense systems proposal, the wastefulness of his defense program, and the complexities of developing and implementing a defense system. Former CIA Director James Woolsey joins them to emphasize the importance of missile defense against threats to allies and terrorism.
Edward Teller supports the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) while Sidney Drell opposes it, showcasing differing opinions on the feasibility of a missile defense system.
The deployment of a missile defense system raises diplomatic concerns and requires international collaboration due to the implications of treaties and potential threats from multiple nations.
Deep dives
The Strategic Defense Initiative and Differing Perspectives
Physicists Edward Teller and Sidney Drell discuss the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as Star Wars. Teller supports SDI, while Drell opposes it. Teller believes that the technological advancements make a defense system against ballistic missiles possible, while Drell argues that the technology does not exist yet. They had similar disagreements when President Reagan first proposed SDI in 1983.
The Need for a Missile Defense System
The discussion centers around the need for a missile defense system to protect against the threat of intercontinental ballistic missiles. The current situation is that if a missile is fired, there is no way to protect the population. A missile defense system aims to destroy incoming missiles before they can cause harm. It is debated whether such a system would be effective and worth the cost.
Assessing the Threat and Diplomatic Ramifications
The podcast examines the current threat of ballistic missiles and the differing opinions on its severity. While the Clinton administration believes that only Russia and China pose a threat for the next decade, there are concerns about other nations, like North Korea, developing missile capabilities as well. The discussion also touches upon the diplomatic ramifications of deploying a missile defense system, particularly the implications of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the need for international collaboration.
With the recent announcement that Oppenheimer, the film directed by Christopher Nolan, had garnered 11 Academy Award nominations, it seemed timely to pull from the archives this rarely seen episode of Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson from 1996 (the third episode ever shot), featuring nuclear physicists and Hoover senior fellows Edward Teller and Sidney Drell. Teller was involved in the development of the first atomic bomb and is prominently featured in Oppenheimer. Drell was an expert in the field of nuclear arms control and cofounder of the Center for International Security and Arms Control, now the Center for International Security and Cooperation. He later was deputy director of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC) from 1969 until his retirement from the lab in 1998. In this episode, Teller and Drell engage in a lively debate about the role of nuclear weapons and how they should be regulated in the late 20th century.
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