Igor Kurchatov was the chief designer of the nuclear program of the Soviet Union. While strategic necessity put him in the role of designing both the atomic bomb and the hydrogen bomb, (both of which he urged that they never be used, he worked simultaneously on his chief interest—using this technology for the development of peaceful nuclear energy. The first Soviet nuclear power plant was developed simultaneously with the development of the Soviet Union’s first atomic bomb, and was put on line in 1954, the first nuclear power plant in the world. In 1950, while still working on the hydrogen bomb, Kurchatov told his team that the next year they would be concentrating on the magnetic thermonuclear reactor, an idea put forward by Andrei Sakharov, known later as the tokamak.
In February 1956, he gave a speech at the 20th CPSU Party Congress, the same at which Khrushchev gave his speech attacking the policies of Stalin, and called for international scientific collaboration on developing fusion, including with the United States. Later that year he went with Nikita Khrushchev to England where he gave a speech at the Harwell nuclear facility explaining in detail the nature of the Soviet program. By unilaterally “declassifying” what was then in all countries a largely classified program, within a year most of the research in all the countries was declassified, leading to the international cooperation on fusion which exists to this very day.
Excerpt of Kurchatov’s speech in 1956 follows:
“Theoretical works on atomic and nuclear physics have opened up the possibility of searching for a new way of using energy for peaceful purposes, opened up the possibility of experimental deployment of controlled thermonuclear reactions—fusion or fusion reactions, which is the most important general task of science.
“A controlled thermonuclear reaction should make it possible to obtain energy not at the expense of its reserves, concentrated in the atomic nuclei of rare elements—uranium and thorium, but through the formation of helium from the substance widespread in nature—hydrogen. The solution of this most difficult and majestic task would forever remove from mankind concern about the reserves necessary for its existence on earth.
“We now have the hydrogen bomb to create the conditions for a hydrogen-helium fusion reaction. But it must now be controlled to avoid an explosion.
“We, Soviet scientists, would like to work together with scientists from all countries of the world, including scientists from America, whose scientific and technical achievements we highly appreciate, to solve this most important scientific problem for mankind. For this to be possible, the only thing necessary is that the U.S. government accept the Soviet Union’s proposal to ban the use of atomic and hydrogen weapons, for which our party is fighting tirelessly.”
