Ted Hall Essay

In 1944, Ted Hall, a scientist working on the Manhattan Project and in the U-Committee, had to make the decision as to what American secrets he thought were important to share with the Soviet Union. Ted Hall made the decision to tell the Soviets about the Atomic bomb. He thought it was right to share the secrets because the U.S, Britain, and the Soviets (Allies) were supposed to be working together. The reason the U.S kept it from Stalin was because they didn’t know what would happen if he got hold of a bomb that was so powerful. Although the U.S government determined not to share information with the Soviets, a young, arrogant Ted Hall decided on his own to try and make peace between the countries and spy for the Soviets. By choosing to tell

Some people may believe that he was trying to make a better, more peaceful world and no matter what it took he should work toward that goal even if it meant going against his own country. I believe that his actions were wrong and detrimental to the U.S because telling the Soviets meant he had to forsake his country. “I shared a common belief that the horrors of war would bring our various leaders to their senses and usher in a period of peace and harmony,”(135) Hall said. This is one of the reasons he thought it would be a good idea to spill American secrets. Ted Hall did know what the U.S wanted, but he still chose to do his own thing even if it meant going against his national responsibility. Hall defended his own actions in asking, “But what if this didn’t happen? What if Americans succeeded in building atomic bombs and they were the only ones to have them? Would the United States be more likely to use atomic bombs, knowing no one else could strike back? Wouldn’t the world be safer if a second major power also knew how to build atomic bombs? That way, neither country would use the bomb- knowing they’d have the bomb used on them.” (135) He thought if the two Nations had bombs they wouldn’t think of using them against each other. If the U.S didn’t tell them in the first place and the Soviets found out later on, (which they did), they