Physics and Politics

My original motivation in signing up for this class was one of desperation, I had foolishly waited to the deadline to choose my classes and all of the other interesting history classes were full. It wasn’t until after I clicked submit that my brother, a junior here at Union informed me that it was an upper-level course. He then rather maliciously told me that I was going to fail because I’m only an ignorant freshman. It’s safe to say that I was terrified and had no idea what to suspect, as a history major/geek the idea of combining history and science is fascinating, and when I saw that the title to one of the required books was “Nazi Science”, well I just got excited. My parents and brother told me all summer that I was making a big mistake in taking the course and would regret it immensely. Upon having completed this course I am especially pleased to say that they were completely wrong!!! This term physics and politics was by far my favorite course.

I enjoyed the physics part of the course for the very simple reason that the focus of the physics was the concepts and not the math behind it. I am horrible at math and this course allowed me to pursue my interest in science without the stress of having to do long and complicated equations. Of course having Professor Maleki made the course that much better, I’m convinced my high school physics teacher stole all of his material and phrases from Professor Maleki. One of the topics that I enjoyed learning the most about was the physics behind the atomic and hydrogen bomb, before this class I knew all about the destruction that the bomb had caused but in my mind it was just this hunk of metal that U.S bomber plan dropped on Hiroshima and than boom and big explosion and lots of death, destruction and massive amounts of radiation. Now I know about the fission process which produces energy to drive the explosion of nuclear weapons. Even more interesting to me as well is the history behind the bomb itself, not just the politics and the decision but the history behind the science. The race between the United States, Russia and Germany too acquire nuclear technology, or their rational behind the decision not to pursue the bomb. One of the things I enjoyed most about the course was the blogs. The freedom that went with the blogging assignment allowed me to research and write about topics that truly interested me. It may have been apparent but I love looking for the connections between the popular culture of the time and the politics. One of my favorite blogs that I enjoyed writing was the Dr.Strangelove blog, it also happens to be one of my favorite movie and this gave me a chance to write about how clever the movie was showing us the danger behind deterrence and Mutually Assured Destruction and that the world could be destroyed by human error. While some people still think this is outlandish, when you look back at two of the major nuclear power plant catastrophes (Chernobyl and Three Mile Island) bad design of the plant and human error and miscommunication were the main causes, at Three Mile Island countless scientist were predicting that a hydrogen bubble in the core was going to cause a massive explosion and destroy Middletown, PA. Ironic thing is that all these top government ranking scientist were using the wrong formula. It’s these little details that make history so fascinating.
Although I won’t miss the agonizing dread of Professor Walker drawing the index card with my name on it, I will miss this class but am pleased to have proven my parents and brother wrong, as well as happy that I had one class that would make my first term here at Union interesting without the depressing stress and worry about failing which was nice.

Today's Nuclear Threat

The November Scientific American magazine contained an article which I found to be extremely thought provoking thus causing me to write a blog on it and share the main information in the article. The main concept of the article combined the idea of a future threat of nuclear war and debating it with the question on the need for new nuclear warheads. Below are the main points in the article that I felt necessary to include. Many of us know the past history concerning nuclear weapons and their threat to the world, few of us probably realize the threat it is still real and in some ways more imminent today. I personally have only thought about nuclear war in the past tense when describing the Cold War. I was shocked to learn that now not only Russia but nine other countries have the ability to launch nuclear warheads. Five countries have the ability to cause mass destruction from the sea by launching the warheads from submarines. The stakes have been considerably raised since the Cold War, many still remember 9/11 like it was yesterday allowing the fear of being attacked again on U.S territory considerably greater and seem more realistic. What makes the fear heighten is the knowledge that there is no defense against a nuclear attack.

• “Nine countries can now deliver nuclear war heads on ballistic missiles, and Iran wants to join this club. Several nations could hit targets anywhere in the world, but regional salvos might be more likely.”

• “Today’s weapons could exact greater death and injury than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Simulations performed for SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN of a one mega-ton payload detonated above Manhattan show that millions would die from the resulting explosion, mass fires and radiation. Other cities worldwide would fare just as badly.”


• “The U.S had embarked on a 25-year program to replace thousands of aging W76 nuclear warheads, which military officials say could be degrading. Proponents claim that the substitute weapon- the Reliable Replacement Warhead RRW) is essential to maintaining the U.S stockpile as a credible deterrent. Critics argue that RRW is a waste of billions of dollars and could goad other nations into a renewed nuclear arms race.”


The pro’s and cons for the replacing the U.S stockpile are both realistic sounding and as far away from each other on a scale as possible. On one hand we can replace our stockpile and this will “goad” other countries into a nuclear arms race. Or there is the idea that if we don’t replace the aging warhead than we are at risk of loosing the credibility of deterrence; which is essential to keeping a nuclear war at bay. The middle ground it seems was The Moscow Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reduction limits of Russia and the U.S to a maximum of 2,200 “operationally deployed warheads by 2012. Another scary scenario concerning the idea of deterrence with a substantial nuclear armory in the day and age of terrorist threats is that it won’t influence their use of nuclear weapons. Scary, what I took from this article is that instead of pouring so much of our nation’s energy and resources into a continually escalating battle, why not instead focus more on our nations defense system.

"The Happiest Place on Earth" Just not for Khrushchev

Ever since seventh grade I have been addicted to old time radio and the black and white age of Hollywood, the classics. My heroes were Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Orson Wells and Humphrey Bogart, who are remembered today for their revolution of comedy, refusal to be censored and ability to redefine Hollywood. July 23, 2003 was a dark day for me, the day Bob Hope (age 100) died; I remember being devastated as he represented to me, the death of an era.

When discussing Khrushchev I can’t help but to think back to one of my favorite books “I owe Russia 1200$” by Bob Hope. The introduction to the book describes a rather famous event in U.S History. Khrushchev’s visit to the United States in 1959 his denied entrance to Walt Disneyland and his tirade at a luncheon at 20th Century Fox studios. According to Hope, he was seated next to the premier’s wife at this luncheon and suggested that she visit Disneyland. When Khrushchev asked the Secret Service about this he was denied due for “security reasons. His response to this setback in his itinerary is what I find fascinating; the Premier of Russia the country vying for Superstar status over the US, the infamous “Butcher of Ukraine” threw a complete hissy fit!!! Here's an excerpt from the remarks that Khrushchev made that afternoon:

"We have come to this town where lives the cream of American art. And just imagine (that) I, a Premier, a Soviet representative, when I came here to this city, I was given a plan. A program of what I was to be shown and whom I was to meet here.

But just now I was told that I could not go to Disneyland. I asked 'Why not? What is it? Do you have rocket-launching pads there?' I do not know.

And just listen - just listen to what I was told - to what reason I was told. We, which means the American authorities, can not guarantee your security if you go there.
What is it? Is there an epidemic of cholera there or something? Or have gangsters taken over the place that can destroy me? Then what must I do? Commit suicide?

This is the situation I am in. Your guest. For me, this situation is inconceivable. I can not find words to explain this to my people."

You can tell that he is a bit put off and extremely peeved at being denied the chance to meet Mickey Mouse. After the luncheon while touring houses in L.A, Khrushchev refused to even get out of the limousine as he pouted inside the car, Khrushchev reportedly told his State Department handlers that "... putting me in a closed car and stewing me in the sun is not the right way to guarantee my safety. This (not being allowed to go to Disneyland) development causes me bitter regret. I thought I could come here as a free man." Another interesting read is Khrushev's speech at the civic dinner in L.A in which he states the anger he feels torwards the American tendency to make everything into a joke "I am talking seriously because I have come here with serious intentions, and you try to reduce the matter to simply a joke. It is a question of war or peace between our countries, a question of the life or death of the people."

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,811257-9,00.html
Khrushchev’s visit to the U.S was very important even though it was slightly marred by this security issue. It represented the early attempts at détente with Russia, and for Russia this meant competition with the West was not over, but, for Khrushchev, this competition had to be ideological, economic, and technological rather than military.

Dr. Strangelove Teaches the World to Love the Bomb

In 1964 Stanley Kubrick directed a black humor film entitled “Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Kubrick drew his inspiration for what is arguably one of the best political satires of this century from the subtle and unstable “Balance of Terror” existing between nuclear powers (Soviets and USA) and its intrinsic paradoxical character. Dr. Strangelove continually makes fun of the numerous cold war attitudes and fears such as the missile gap and the arms race. The end result is that Kubrick hopes to show us the follies of nuclear weapons and their threat to a rational society.
During the Cold War, Americans justified their possession of the atomic bomb by rationalizing that it was necessary to have the bomb in order to deter other nations from using their own weapons. America needed these weapons in order to deter Russia from attacking the United States without fear of retaliation, “Deterrence is the art of producing in the enemy the fear of attack” is Dr. Strangelove’s explanation for the "Doomsday Machine". In the movie, Russia had created what they considered the ultimate deterrence called “the doomsday machine”. A weapon so powerful, that it would destroy all human and animal life on earth, and produce a lethal cloud of radioactivity that would encircle the earth for 93 years causing massive fallout. The rationale for this comes with the flawed logic behind the idea that no one would attack a country knowing that it meant the end of the world would come. However, this ultimate system of deterrence is also quite flawed because it leaves itself open to the possibility that human or technical error in turning the doomsday device on could result in a world wide nuclear holocaust and the end of life as we know it. The joke behind this paradox is one of the main themes that we see throughout the film. The other flaw behind the idea of this ultimate deterrence was stated best by Peter Sellers (who is awesome!!! He played 3 of the main characters in this film):

Dr. Strangelove: “Of course, the whole point of a Doomsday Machine is lost, if you *keep* it a *secret*! Why didn't you tell the world, EH?”

Ambassador de Sadesky: It was to be announced at the Party Congress on Monday. As you know, the Premier loves surprises.

The idea behind a Doomsday machine is so "terrifying and yet so simple to understand while at the same time completely credible and convincing". Who would attack a country knowing that the repercussion of this would be the end of the world? It is the ultimate hand in a poker game which was essentially how the cold war was played out, in a series of bluffs between the United States and Russia.

A side note to all you Star Wars fans out there, James Earl Jones plays the role of Lt. Lothor Zogg in Dr. Strangelove. If any of you are looking for an incentive to see this masterpiece. If not you all should see it anyway!! Much of what we've discussed in class concerning the Cold War is presented cleary throughout the film.