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Search every verified Vannevar Bush interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a 2023 interview on MIT Science Reporter, Vannevar Bush reflected on the development and use of the atomic bomb, stating that his first reaction was "great relief that the program had been successful." He expressed support for President Truman's decision to use the bomb, saying it "saved 100,000 or more American casualties and saved the lives of Japanese for that matter." Bush also remarked that it was "well that the bomb came into effect in our hands, not in the hands of some other country, perhaps Russia." He described the post-war situation as a "stalemate" between the U.S. and Russia, adding that "that deadlock is preferable to continual warfare." Bush also discussed the relationship between scientists and government, noting that "scientists and Engineers are getting along with Congress a lot better than they used to" and that "mutual respect" has developed. He cautioned against German errors such as "complacency, deterioration of interest in pure science, and regimentation in the administrative control of science." On automation, Bush said it "creates skilled jobs and obsolete unskilled jobs," causing "temporary dislocations," but argued it is "not a calamity" if society gains "greater leisure time." He praised the American public for backing the Marshall Plan, calling it "a magnificent thing to do."
“Well of course my first reaction was one of great relief that the program had been successful and the bomb had gone off on schedule.”
“President Truman made the decision to use the bomb but I thought then and I think now that he was right for a number of reasons: by ending the war abruptly it saved 100,000 or more American casualties and saved the lives of Japanese for that matter.”
“I also think that it's well that the bomb came into effect in our hands, not in the hands of some other country, perhaps Russia.”
“What happened was that science which had piled up great resources of fundamental knowledge became suddenly applied to warfare in a very thorough way and the result was proximity fuses and radar and things — rockets — it was bound to happen and that's the thing that civilization has to learn to live with.”
“There's no doubt that since the war we've had a stalemate; we have determination on the part of Russia and ourselves not to get into an all‑out war because of the a‑bomb — we may be able to learn to live with it and that deadlock is preferable to continual warfare.”
“The three German errors mentioned so far: complacency, deterioration of interest in pure science, and regimentation in the administrative control of science are the principal ones that we too can make if we're not on guard against them.”
“My principal job was running a government agency as an executive; Dr. Killian and others since the war have been advisers, and our job was to get to the president of the United States the best possible scientific advice available anywhere in the country — not merely personal opinion.”
“Nine out of ten scientists in this country, when asked to give their honest opinion to governments on matters that concern the public interest, will give their honest opinion without equivocation and without slant.”
“When you automate you create skilled jobs and obsolete unskilled jobs; that does indeed make a problem — temporary dislocations are sad — but it is not a calamity if we learn to make all the things we need for civilized existence with less effort and thereby gain greater leisure time.”
“I'm glad the American public was behind the Marshall Plan — the first time any nation voluntarily came to the succor of other nations to see that they were helped out of the aftermath of the war; it was a magnificent thing to do.”
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