This course will look at nuclear weapons from three points of view: a little about the science and technology they involve, how the big decisions were made about their creation and use, and finally meeting some of the human beings who were key parts of this process.

The conception and development of the first atomic bombs is a fascinating story, even when their importance for the world is left aside. The way decisions were made about them – we’ll look only at the U.S. side – is important and, to me, anything but reassuring. Finally, many remarkable and fascinating people were involved; some such as J. Robert Oppenheimer are widely known, others like Joseph Rotblat much less so although they too played essential roles. And of course these three areas overlap and interact.

But the story of nuclear weapons is not just interesting history. The weapons that exist today would be capable of destroying most of human civilization if actually used in a nuclear war. This has not happened in the 75 years since the destruction of Hiroshima; ensuring that it never happens must be a fundamental policy goal for this country and others. I hope and believe that pondering how the nuclear age began can help us achieve that goal.