L6. Theodor B. Taylor was a nuclear weapons designer. He invented the world's smallest nuclear weapon, nicknamed “the Davy Crockett,” and he also designed some of the largest H-bombs ever built. For years he was captivated by the “technical sweetness” of weapons physics; but when he realized the consequences of nuclear war, he changed. “It's all too easy for a madman, a terrorist, or a criminal to build his own atomic bomb,” he said in 1972. “I've been worried about it ever since I made my first one.” Ted Taylor believed that the world's number one problem is the proliferation of plutonium. He warned against the rash proliferation of nuclear power plants because they make plutonium available worldwide. He declared that if a fraction of the money invested in nuclear power had gone to solar energy, we would be further ahead in solving our energy problems today. Damascus, Maryland, USA. 13 October 1986.
These photographs by Robert Del Tredici are protected by copyright and are available for purchase as high-quality digital prints on archival paper or as silver gelatin prints from bdeltredici@hotmail.com.