Nuclear Museum Logo
Nuclear Museum Logo

National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

J. Samuel (“Sam”) Walker is the former historian of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the author of Prompt and Utter Destruction: Truman and the Use of Atomic Bombs against Japan. He is also the author of five books on the history of regulating nuclear power, including Three Mile Island: A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective and The Road to Yucca Mountain: The Development of Radioactive Waste Policy in the United States.

Related Profiles

Claude Lyneis

University of California, Berkeley

Claude Lyneis is a nuclear physicist specializing in accelerator physics. Lyneis received his B.A. in Physics from the University of Washington in 1965 and his Ph.

James Hershberg

Washington, DC

Dr. Hershberg is a professor of History and International Affairs at The George Washington University.

William R. Purnell

Washington, DC

William R. Purnell (1886-1955) was a Rear Admiral in the US Navy and served as the Navy liaison on the Military Policy Committee for the Manhattan Project.

Richard Tolman

Washington, DC

Richard Tolman (1881-1948) was an American physicist and chemist. Starting in 1940, Tolman served as Vice-Chairman of the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) and was also the Chairman of the Armor and Ordnance Division of the NDRC.