A tale of openness and secrecy: The Philadelphia Story
A now little-known manuscript prepared by nine young physicists as a statement about the futility of scientific secrecy quickly became a test of the limits of free discourse in the nuclear age.
The Atomic Secret in Red Hands? American Suspicions of Theoretical Physicists During the Early Cold War
ABSTRACT During the early years of the Cold War, a formulaic depiction emerged in the United States linking one group of scientists——theoretical physicists——with ““atomic secrets,”” whose possession would supposedly allow other nations to build their own nuclear weapons. Scrutiny narrowed quickly around theoretical physicists, as reporters, senators, and federal judges alike asserted that theorists were inherently a breed apart, more susceptible than any other group of people to Communist influence.
The Origins of the Scientific Species
Professor Richard Meier of the Program of Education and Research in Planning at the University of Chicago and executive secretary in 1947 of the Federation of American Scientists attempts a sociological interpretation of the typical political, social, and cultural orientations of chemists, physicists, biologists, and engineers.