The Joe Walker Podcast Richard Rhodes — The Making of the Atomic Bomb
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Jul 25, 2023 Historian Richard Rhodes traces the science and secrecy behind the Manhattan Project, from the first hints of a nuclear chain reaction to the race to build the bomb. He explores Oppenheimer’s complicated life, the scientists and leaders who shaped the project, and the chilling history of nuclear brinkmanship, near-misses, and efforts to imagine a world without these weapons.
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Reykjavik Nearly Ended Nuclear Arsenals
- Reagan and Gorbachev nearly agreed to eliminate all nuclear weapons at Reykjavik, showing abolition was politically conceivable.
- Political aides and SDI mistrust derailed the deal despite both leaders privately accepting radical cuts.
Why Supermajorities Of Warheads Existed
- The US and USSR massively overbuilt arsenals because they didn't know how many warheads were 'enough' and because prestige and service budgets drove production.
- Military branches and political status amplified weapons accumulation beyond strict deterrence needs.
Nuclear Winter Turns Local War Into Global Catastrophe
- Nuclear winter modeling showed full-scale nuclear war would collapse global agriculture and likely kill a vast majority of humanity.
- The discovery reframed nuclear weapons from national deterrents to an existential global threat.