--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They thought the Allies would be…" description: "\"“They thought the Allies would be desperate to “buy” their reactor research in the postwar era. Apparently they were not moved to check to see whether ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec8/gregory-benford-6934_hiroshima-and-nagasa_they-thought-the-allies-would-be-despera_42428.jpg" --- # They thought the Allies would be desperate to “buy” their… ![“They thought the Allies would be desperate to “buy” their reactor research in the postwar era. Apparently they were not moved to check to see whether this arrogance was founded, and the depression and desperation one hears them going through after Hiroshima and Nagasaki reveals their sudden…” quote by Gregory Benford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec8/gregory-benford-6934_hiroshima-and-nagasa_they-thought-the-allies-would-be-despera_42428.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec8/gregory-benford-6934_hiroshima-and-nagasa_they-thought-the-allies-would-be-despera_42428.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec8/gregory-benford-6934_hiroshima-and-nagasa_they-thought-the-allies-would-be-despera_42428.jpg) > ““They thought the Allies would be desperate to “buy” their reactor research in the postwar era. Apparently they were not moved to check to see whether this arrogance was founded, and the depression and desperation one hears them going through after Hiroshima and Nagasaki reveals their sudden irrelevance. As Otto Hahn chided them right after they learned of Hiroshima: “If the Americans have a uranium bomb, then you’re all second-raters.” The”” [Gregory Benford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-benford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques the post‑WWII scientific community's overconfidence in selling nuclear expertise, exposing how geopolitical shifts rendered their assumptions obsolete. **In simple terms:** Overconfidence in nuclear tech sales proved misguided. Key Takeaway Assumptions can become irrelevant quickly. Themes hubris geopolitics science policy postwar transition nuclear weapons Mood cautious reflective Type historical observation critical commentary When to use this quote - Cold War negotiations - post‑war scientific funding - international technology markets Key Concepts strategic misreading technological dependency Practical Applications - Historical analysis of nuclear diplomacy - Policy lessons for emerging tech markets Questions to Reflect On - How can scientists better anticipate geopolitical changes? - What mechanisms can prevent overreliance on a single market? A Different Perspective While the quote highlights a specific historical moment, not all scientific fields experience the same abrupt relevance loss. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hiroshima and nagasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hiroshima-and-nagasaki/) ## Related quotes > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The death toll from small arms dwarfs that of all other weapons systems — and in most years greatly exceeds the toll of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/the-death-toll-from-small-arms-dwarfs-that-of-all-other-weapons/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [“History's long rhythm of challenges and response, of solutions that breed new crises, is not to be interrupted. 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We scorched and boiled and baked to death more people in Tokyo on that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-schaffer/nothing-new-about-death-nothing-new-about-deaths-caused-militarily-we/) Ronald Schaffer > [“Hiroshima and Nagasaki were atomized at a time when the Japanese were suing desperately for peace. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-dellinger/hiroshima-and-nagasaki-were-atomized-at-a-time-when-the-japanese-were/) [David Dellinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-dellinger/) > [ The use of \[the atomic bombs\] at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan. The Japanese were already… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-d-leahy/the-use-of-the-atomic-bombs-at-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-was-of-no/) William D. Leahy > [I was against it on two counts. 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Isn’t that how science works?” Redwing grinned. “If you don’t understand, do an experiment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-benford/right-isn-t-that-how-science-works-redwing-grinned-if-you-don-t/) [Gregory Benford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-benford/) > [“Sour grapes, the champagne of the intelligentsia.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-benford/sour-grapes-the-champagne-of-the-intelligentsia/) [Gregory Benford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-benford/) > [“Even their stable societies oscillated between banquets and barbarism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-benford/even-their-stable-societies-oscillated-between-banquets-and-barbarism/) [Gregory Benford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-benford/) > [“Redwing had read somewhere that one of his favourite writers, Ernest Hemingway, had been asked what was the best training for a novelist. 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There is always more mystery. —ANAÏS NIN”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-benford/the-possession-of-knowledge-does-not-kill-the-sense-of-wonder-and/) [Gregory Benford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-benford/) [Explore all 96 Gregory Benford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-benford/) ## More Hiroshima and nagasaki quotes > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I stated that Hiroshima and Nagasaki are 'among the most unspeakable crimes in history.' 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