Ultimate Weapon

Ultimate Weapon: The H-Bomb Dilemma explores the secret late-1940s/early-1950s debate over whether to build the H-bomb. In the wake of the destructive power unleashed by the atomic bomb, nuclear physicists found themselves in an agonizing moral quandary over whether or not they should continue their research and create the more destructive hydrogen bomb. Over 30 individuals recount the moral struggle faced by the scientific community: the desire for scientific advancement compared to the dangerous weapon that would be a direct result of their research.

The program features declassified information from the Los Alamos archives, information obtained via the Freedom of Information Act, private archival collections and film from 44 rolls of newly declassified government H-bomb footage.