Garwin, Richard L.
Oral history interview with Richard L. Garwin, 2001 June 7.
Focused interview deals with Garwin's childhood and schooling at Case and University of Chicago; his time at Chicago and interaction with Fermi. Majority of interview is on Garwin's work in designing the H-bomb and consulting work at Los Alamos in 1950-51. Recollections interspersed with technical details of design and apparatus. Discussion of recent 'discovery' of interview with Edward Teller in 1979 by George Keyworth that gives credit for H-bomb design to Garwin; Teller and Ulam's relation. Last part of the interview deals with Garwin's work in conjunction with Leon Lederman to confirm the non-conservation of parity in late 1956-early 1957.
Born 1928. Physicist; received Ph.D. in 1949, University of Chicago under Enrico Fermi. On Fermi's invitation, Garwin went to Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1950. At this time appointed faculty position at University of Chicago. According to Edward Teller, was instrumental in creating the first hydrogen bomb. In 1952 Garwin joined IBM's Watson Laboratory at Columbia University in a research capacity (until 1970), while consulting at Los Alamos and for the U.S. government on issues of military technology and arms control. Also an adjunct professor in physics at Columbia University, and a professor of public policy at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Member of the President's Science Advisory Committee, the Defense Science Board, and the National Academy of Science; Fellow of the American Physical Society.
Fermi, Enrico, 1901-1954.
Garwin, Richard L.
Teller, Edward, 1908-2003
Hydrogen bomb -- History.
Parity nonconservation.
Oral histories. aat
Interviews. aat
Sound recordings lcgft
Transcripts. aat
McCray, Patrick (W. Patrick) interviewer.
AIP-ICOS
American Institute of Physics. Niels Bohr Library & Archives. One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA