Edward Teller Papers
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http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf6x0nb1wg No online items Register of the Edward Teller papers Finding aid prepared by Linda Bernard, 1992 and 1996, Beth Goder, Garrett Morton, and Pat Wandro, 2009-2013, revised by Vishnu Jani Hoover Institution Library and Archives © 1998 434 Galvez Mall Stanford University Stanford, CA 94305-6003 [email protected] URL: http://www.hoover.org/library-and-archives Register of the Edward Teller 76074 1 papers Title: Edward Teller papers Date (inclusive): 1910-2005 Collection Number: 76074 Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives Language of Material: English Physical Description: 561 manuscript boxes, 59 oversize boxes, 3 cubic foot boxes, 2 card file boxes, 1 oversize folder, 2 album boxes, 11 slide boxes, 6 envelopes, 7 motion picture film reels, 8 sound discs, digital files(287.0 Linear Feet) Abstract: Correspondence, speeches and writings, reports, studies, memoranda, printed matter, photographs, motion picture film, video tapes, sound recordings, and memorabilia relating to chemical, molecular and nuclear physics; development of new energy resources; national energy research planning; space exploration; and national and international security issues, including nuclear weapons and arms control. Creator: Teller, Edward, 1908-2003 Hoover Institution Library & Archives Access The collection is open for research; materials must be requested at least two business days in advance of intended use. Publication Rights For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives. Acquisition Information Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1976, with increments acquired through 2003. Preferred Citation [Identification of item], Edward Teller papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives. 1908 Born, Budapest, Hungary January 15 1926-1928 Student, Karlsruhe Technical Institute, Karlsruhe, Germany 1928 Student, University of Munich, Germany 1929-1931 Research associate, University of Leipzig, Germany 1930 Ph.D., University of Leipzig 1931-1933 Research associate, Guttingen, Germany 1934 Rockefeller fellow, Copenhagen, Netherlands Married Augusta (Mici) Harkanyi 1934-1935 Lecturer, University of London, United Kingdom 1935-1941 Professor of physics, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 1941 Naturalized, Washington, D.C. 1941-1942 Professor of physics, Columbia University, New York City 1942-1943 Physicist, University of Chicago, Illinois 1942-1946 Physicist, Manhattan Engineer District of Columbia 1943-1946 Physicist, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, University of California, Los Alamos, New Mexico 1946-1952 Professor of physics, University of Chicago 1949 Author (with Francis Owen Rice), The Structure of Matter 1949-1952 Assistant director, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory 1952-1953 Consultant, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, University of California, Livermore, California 1953-1960 Professor of physics, University of California, Berkeley 1954-1958, Associate director, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory 1960-1975 1958 Author (with Albert L. Latter), Our Nuclear Future 1958-1960 Director, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory 1960-1970 Professor of physics-at-large, University of California 1962 Author (with Allen Brown), The Legacy of Hiroshima 1963-1966 Professor emeritus and chairman, Department of Applied Science, University of California, Davis and Livermore 1968 Author (with Gerald W. Johnson, Wilson K. Talley, and Gary H. Higgins), The Constructive Uses of Nuclear Explosives 1969 Author (with Segre, Kaplan, and Schiff), Great Men of Physics Register of the Edward Teller 76074 2 papers 1970 Author, General Remarks on Electronic Structure and the Hydrogen Molecular Ion, and General Theory of Electron Structure 1970-1975 University professor, University of California 1972 Author, The Miracle of Freedom 1975 Author, Energy: A Plan for Action 1975- Senior research fellow, Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace, Stanford, California Director emeritus and consultant, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory University professor emeritus, University of California 1977 Author, Nuclear Energy in the Developing World 1979 Author, Energy from Heaven and Earth 1980 Author, The Pursuit of Simplicity 1987 Author, Better a Shield than a Sword: Perspectives on Defense and Technology 1989 Presidential Citizens Medal, 1991 Author, Conversations on the Dark Secrets of Physics 1998 Awarded a Magyarsag Hirneveert Dij, the highest official Hungarian government award 2001 Author, Memoirs: A Twentieth-Century Journey in Science and Politics 2002 Department of Energy Gold Award 2003 July Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom 2003 September Died at his home on Stanford campus 9 Scope and Content of Collection Edward Teller was a nuclear physicist whose work was instrumental in the development of the hydrogen bomb. His papers, which document his life and career, include correspondence, speeches and writings, reports, studies, memoranda, printed matter, photographs, motion picture film, video recordings, sound recordings, and memorabilia related to chemical, molecular and nuclear physics; development of new energy resources; national energy research planning; space exploration; and national and international security issues, including nuclear weapons and arms control. The majority of the material was received as an increment to the original collection, with documents originating from offices at the Hoover Institution, where Teller was a fellow, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, an organization which Teller helped to found and where he later served as director. The original accession contains Correspondence with Hans Bethe, Cresson Kearny, Nelson A. Rockefeller, and Lewis Strauss, as well as documents concerning the Commission on Critical Choices for Americans. Born in Hungary in 1908, Teller received his Ph.D. while studying in Germany. In 1935, he immigrated to the United States, where he became a professor at George Washington University and was later employed at Los Alamos National Laboratory as a member of the Manhattan Project. During his career, Teller taught at various universities and authored several books. The Incremental biographical file contains book-length works written about Teller's life, as well as a booklet created from an exhibit on Teller at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The file also includes calendars and documents related to Teller's birthday celebrations. See the Incremental oversize material for a scrapbook of letters given to Teller upon his retirement and certificates awarded to Teller. The incremental correspondence is arranged in three series based on provenance of material. The Incremental general correspondence includes letters of Teller's family members, in addition to correspondence from both offices where he worked. The Incremental Hoover Institution correspondence contains letters of Hans Bethe, Sidney Drell, Freeman Dyson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Henry A. Kissinger, Eugene Wigner, and Lowell Wood, as well as autograph requests that Teller received. The Incremental Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory correspondence as well as the Incremental Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory alphabetical file include letters related to Teller's scientific work, political advocacy, and business dealings. The correspondence regarding his professorial work is related to his research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and his position at the Department of Applied Science, a joint program of LLNL and the University of California, Davis. In addition, these series include correspondence with colleagues at other research facilities, especially from Los Alamos National Laboratory. The bulk of Teller's political papers fall into two categories: correspondence with public figures regarding his support for the development of a thermonuclear deterrent arsenal and anti-ballistic missile defense systems, and documents related to his position on various governmental advisory boards and committees. For additional correspondence, see also the research files for Teller's memoirs. The Incremental Hoover Institution alphabetical file consists of files on political and scientific topics, mainly relating to nuclear weapons. This file contains material on the atomic bomb, nuclear reactors, radiation, and the Strategic Defense Initiative. Register of the Edward Teller 76074 3 papers Teller maintained two offices, one at the Hoover Institution and one at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The Incremental general office file consists of Teller's calendars, documenting a hectic schedule that required him to switch between his two offices and travel frequently. Additional schedules and correspondence can be found in the Incremental Hoover Institution office file, which documents Teller's working life as a Hoover Institution fellow. The Incremental Lawrence Livermore Office file contains a publicity file that includes news stories concerning Teller, interview correspondence, and autograph requests. Teller's extensive lecturing and consultation work required frequent travel, and this aspect of Teller's life is particularly well-represented in the travel file. In addition to publishing numerous scientific papers, Teller wrote on issues of defense and the use of nuclear weapons. The Incremental general speeches and writings contain drafts and working material for several of Teller's monographs, as well as for the unpublished work Technology in Warfare. The Incremental Hoover