In the National Park Service’s National Historic Landmark Theme Study titled Protecting America: Cold War Defensive Sites, author John S. Salmon suggests, “Two facts dominated the Cold War Era, which is defined for the purposes of this theme study as the period between 1945 and 1991: the United States and the West vied against the Soviet Union and its satellites in a global political and military struggle for supremacy, and the threat—sometimes seemingly the promise—of nuclear obliteration hung over all the Earth like the Sword of Damocles.” As the agency responsible for the design, development and testing of nuclear weapons, the Department of Energy and its predecessor agencies played a central role in the struggles, threats, and promises that defined the Cold War. This web page is designed to link visitors to historical material for the sites, laboratories, and offices involved in this unprecedented effort.
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
ANL played a primary role in reactor development for use by the military (including the USS Nautilus and development of portable reactors for military base camps) and was instrumental in the development of the nuclear power industry.
Argonne’s Nuclear Science and Technology Legacy
Jack. M. Holl, Argonne National Laboratory 1946-96. University of Illinois Press. Chicago, 1997.
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL)
BNL played an indirect role in Cold War with promotion of peaceful uses of the atom, for example some of BNL's research looked at the aftermath of war (Gamma Forest) and close of the Cold War (Nuclear Non-proliferation).
BNL Cultural/Historical Resource Management
Hanford Site
Hanford played a primary role in the expansion of the nuclear weapons complex as the main supplier of fissionable plutonium for atomic bombs.
History of the Hanford Site (1943-1990) booklet from PNNL
Brief History of the Plutonium-Uranium Extraction Plant
Hanford History Project Resources
Idaho National Laboratory (INL)
INL played a primary role in the design, construction, and testing of prototype nuclear reactors for the research and development of nuclear energy as well as nuclear energy research for Cold War military applications.
Introduction to INL History Proving the Principle
INL Fact Sheets including PDFs for Proving the Principle
Experimental Breeder Reactor-1 (EBR-1) Atomic Museum
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)
LLNL played a primary role in nuclear weapon design and general scientific nuclear investigation (plutonium and uranium research) and supported the LANL nuclear weapons design and testing program.
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
LANL played a primary role in nuclear weapons design, development and testing and played a primary role in the development of supercomputers used in those efforts.
Oak Ridge Reservation
Oak Ridge played a primary role in the production of enriched uranium for the weapons complex, the development of gaseous diffusion plants, lithium fuel development, and genetics and biological radiation research.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) History
Swords to Plowshares: A Short History of Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge Environmental Management History
Office of Legacy Management (LM)
LM sites played primary and support roles throughout the Cold War, including: milling uranium ore (Gunnison); processing feed materials for reactor fuel (Fernald); Project Plowshare tests (Gasbuggy); machining weapons parts (Rocky Flats); developing the demonstration reactor program (Piqua); and conducting radiation experiments (LEHR).
Nevada National Security Site (NNSS)
NNSS played a primary role in the weapons testing program throughout the Cold War.
History of Atmospheric Nuclear Weapons Testing, 1951-1963
Montage of Nuclear Tests at NNSS
NNSS Information from the Office of Science and Technical Information
Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant
Paducah played a primary role in the enrichment of uranium to up to 5.5%, which was then shipped to Portsmouth, OH or Oak Ridge, TN for higher enrichment; enriched uranium was also used in naval reactors and weapons for nuclear defense systems.
Paducah Virtual Museum: (coming soon)
Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant History
Pantex Plant
Pantex played a primary role in the assembly and disassembly of nuclear weapons during the Cold War. Additionally, Pantex developed, tested, and fabricated high explosive components.
Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant
Portsmouth played a primary role in uranium enrichment for nuclear defense systems as part of the weapons complex
Sandia National Laboratories (SNL)
SNL played a primary role in nuclear weapons design, development and testing and also played a primary role in satellite testing.
Savannah River Site (SRS)
SRS played a primary role in the production of plutonium and tritium for the weapons complex and national defense.
Savannah River National Laboratory History