[MEG33]

The scientists attitude they knew best about sharing the atom bomb secrets for the greater good of mankind does not impress me.I believe their brilliant accomplishments in the scientific field do not translate when it comes to protecting my nations interest.I have read enough today to confirm my doubts about their ability to make national security a priority.They don't like security today at Los Alamos.Why should I be surprised about past perfidy.While most did not spy,they were useful idiots.

[Doctor Stochastic]

They don't like security today at Los Alamos.

False.

[liberallarry]

They were useful idiots

It's a close call. Stalin's creatures certainly thought they were. But they were right about the bomb's dangers, right about the need for international control, right about the arms race, and - most important - right that the secret couldn't be kept.

[liberallarry]

they were useful idiots

They seem to have been wrong about some things too. International control didn't develop in the way they thought or hoped. The competitive struggle for dominance continued - eventually resulting in the break-up of the Soviet Union.

I'd very much like to know the details of their thought on this. Russell in 1920 already wrote about the drive for power - that the Russian Marxists had erred in ignoring this. I'd guess they thought that atomic weapons would channel competitive energies into different, less destructive endeavors.