The Real Dr. Strangelove: Edward Teller and the Battle for the H-Bomb by Peter Goodchild
Susan Albert Loewenberg, Producing Director

If you have the knowledge, are you obligated to use it?

This was the fundamental question facing the scientists and politicians in America in the middle part of the 20th century. This question continues to drive debate and division in the scientific community today. In Peter Goodchild’s gripping docu-drama, we hear the true arguments on both sides of this question, explore the fractioned personal relationship between Teller and Oppenheimer, and witness the plan to widen America’s nuclear armory. These events set America on the path of becoming the strongest military nation on the planet by having the largest and most dangerous cache of weapons available - and living with the consequences.

Communism and pacifism, the nuclear arms race and the impending war in Korea, jealousy and distrust between old colleagues, and the future power of the United States all come into play as Teller, Oppenheimer, and the U.S. Government battle in the most famous case to ever grip the scientific community.

Teller and Oppenheimer, arguably the most famous scientists of the last century, were at odds over the further development of nuclear weapons. Having just devasted Nagasaki and Hiroshima with atomic bombs, Edward Teller, one of America’s most respected scientists, begins to push for the development of an even larger bomb - the H-Bomb. Considered genocidal by many in the scientific community, the H-Bomb was a favourite of the U.S. Government and specifically the military in an attempt to stay ahead of the Russians in the international arms race.

Oppenheimer, the father of the atom bomb, was a complicated character. Considered a pacifist and a communist sympathesizer, he became the chief obstacle for Eisenhower and the Pentagon in the creation of a more destructive weapon. In an attempt to discredit Oppenheimer, the Atomic Energy Commission, the FBI, and even the President, sought to remove him by revoking his security clearance, thereby splitting the scientific community for years to come and setting the stage for US military policy for the next half century.

The original recording of The Real Dr. Strangelove by L.A. Theatre Works was produced in 2006 and featured Joe Spano, John de Lancie, Simon Templeman, Raphael Sbarge and others. 

L.A. Theatre Works and the author will grant permission to each presenter to invite local public radio into the theater to record The Real Dr. Strangelove and allow a one-time re-broadcast of the play.

Click here for information on the new documentary The Nuclear Tipping Point.
This material could offer some interesting opportunities for dialogue in your community.

Click here for a full list of upcoming performances.