Harry S. Truman

==== Hydrogen bomb decision ====
The Soviet Union's [[Soviet atomic bomb project|atomic bomb project]] progressed much faster than had been expected,{{sfn|McCullough|1992|pp=747–749}} and they detonated [[RDS-1|their first bomb]] on August 29, 1949. Over the next several months there was an intense debate that split the U.S. government, military, and scientific communities regarding whether to proceed with the development of the far more powerful [[hydrogen bomb]].{{sfn|Young|Schilling|2019|pp=1–2}} The debate touched on matters from technical feasibility to strategic value to the morality of creating a massively destructive weapon.{{sfn|Young|Schilling|2019|pp=152–159}}{{sfn|McCullough|1992|pp=756–758}} On January 31, 1950, Truman made the decision to go forward on the grounds that if the Soviets could make an H-bomb, the United States must do so as well and stay ahead in the nuclear arms race.{{sfn|Young|Schilling|2019|p=165}}{{sfn|McCullough|1992|pp=762–764}} The development achieved fruition with the [[Ivy Mike|first U.S. H-bomb test]] on October 31, 1952, which was officially announced by Truman on January 7, 1953.{{sfn|Atomic Archive|1953}}