Teller, Edward

Hungarian-American physicist, American Father of the H-Bomb. A dedicated cold warrior. Founded Livermore laboratory, convinced Reagan to proceed with 'Star Wars' using nuclear-bomb-pumped x-ray laser.

Edward Teller was a naturalized American physicist born in Hungary who made important contributions to the development of both fission- and fusion-type bombs. As a member of the advisory committee of the AEC, he advocated the hydrogen bomb as a U.S. tactical weapon, arousing a great deal of controversy. He also spoke publicly about Sputnik as showing that the Soviets were beginning to gain a lead on the U.S. in the fields of science and technology.