Strategic Defense Initiative Edward Teller

teller became major lobbying force of strategic defense initiative president ronald reagan in 1980s.

in 1980s, teller began strong campaign later called strategic defense initiative (sdi), derided critics star wars, concept of using ground , satellite-based lasers, particle beams , missiles destroy incoming soviet icbms. teller lobbied government agencies—and got approval of president ronald reagan—for plan develop system using elaborate satellites used atomic weapons fire x-ray lasers @ incoming missiles—as part of broader scientific research program defenses against nuclear weapons.

scandal erupted when teller (and associate lowell wood) accused of deliberately overselling program , perhaps had encouraged dismissal of laboratory director (roy woodruff) had attempted correct error. claims led joke circulated in scientific community, new unit of unfounded optimism designated teller; 1 teller large events had measured in nanotellers or picotellers.

many prominent scientists argued system futile. hans bethe, along ibm physicist richard garwin , cornell university colleague kurt gottfried, wrote article in scientific american analyzed system , concluded putative enemy disable such system use of suitable decoys cost small fraction of sdi program.

in 1987 teller published book supporting civil defense , active protection systems such sdi titled better shield sword , views on role of lasers in sdi published, , available, in 2 1986-7 laser conference proceedings.