The Hell Bomb

This chapter begins by examining how the Soviet Union's first atomic test breathed new urgency into developing an American fusion bomb, to counter the perceived threat of an atomic-armed Soviet Union. It looks at how the controversy raged among US policy makers, weapons designers, and the military. In a series of columns starting January 1950, the chapter first recounts that columnists Joseph and Stewart Alsop intimated that the H-bomb, which has been called the Hell Bomb because of its massive destructiveness, could require an industrial effort even more enormous than the Manhattan Project. It then explores how William Laurence moved to a more sensational approach to covering the hydrogen bomb, emphasizing its destructive power and environmental impact. The chapter stresses that Laurence held that the H-bomb would be incredibly more powerful than the A-bomb, so much so that its very existence might deter any use of such weapons. The chapter also elaborates on Laurence's story for the Times identifying cobalt as the bomb casing that could generate enough radioactive fallout to kill all life on Earth. As the chapter argues, controversies such as the one over the cobalt bomb pushed public fears and curiosity about atomic energy to new heights. Trying to satisfy that hunger, the chapter explores the development of documentary and training films about civil defense, and a radio documentary about nuclear technology.