War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Charles Leavitt, 1987

Part of War and Peace in the Nuclear Age.

12/16/1987

Charles Leavitt was a defense contractor with TRW in the 1980s. In the interview he describes the nature of defense contract work in relation to the scientific research being done on nuclear weapons. He explains that contractors come in at an early stage in the process with the aim of better guiding the research toward the device being developed, and making the system more efficient. He explains a number of related details about the process including the uncertainty over whether a given company will retain a contract in future stages of a project.

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Series

War and Peace in the Nuclear Age

Title

Interview with Charles Leavitt, 1987

Series Description

The first atomic explosion in the New Mexico desert on July 16, 1945, changed the world forever. This series chronicles these changes and the history of a new era. It traces the development of nuclear weapons, the evolution of nuclear strategy, and the politics of a world with the power to destroy itself.

In thirteen one-hour programs that combine historic footage and recent interviews with key American, Soviet, and European participants, the nuclear age unfolds: the origin and evolution of nuclear weapons; the people of the past who have shaped the events of the present; the ideas and issues that political leaders, scientists, and the public at large must confront, and the prospects for the future. Nuclear Age highlights the profound changes in contemporary thinking imposed by the advent of nuclear weapons. Series release date: 1/1989

Duration

00:08:34

Asset Type

Raw video

Media Type

Video

Subjects

Strategic Defense Initiative

Nuclear weapons

Defense contracts

United States

Weinberger, Caspar W.

Reagan, Ronald

TRW Defense and Space Systems Group

Locations

Livermore Laboratory, Livermore, CA

Genres

Topics

Contributors

Leavitt, Charles (Interviewee)

Publication Information

WGBH Educational Foundation

Citation

Chicago: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Charles Leavitt, 1987,” 12/16/1987, GBH Archives, accessed April 18, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_FED63820651644A4B0C74516DB902E8D.

MLA: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Charles Leavitt, 1987.” 12/16/1987. GBH Archives. Web. April 18, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_FED63820651644A4B0C74516DB902E8D>.

APA: War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Charles Leavitt, 1987. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_FED63820651644A4B0C74516DB902E8D

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War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Charles Leavitt, 1987