1953
Atoms for Peace
President Eisenhower addresses the United Nations on the peaceful uses of atomic energy.
U.S.-Soviet & Russian scientific cooperation
Science across
a divided world
American and Russian scientists joined forces to reduce nuclear dangers. Explore the history, hear their accounts, and examine the original sources.
From the collectionFirst encounters
Photograph by Vladimir M. Shmakov.The story behind the photograph ↗
A history of cooperation
About
Discover the history of American and Russian scientists working together to reduce nuclear dangers, told through the experiences of the people who made it possible.
The collection brings together accounts, interviews, documents, photos, and videos, alongside the companion book Doomed to Cooperate.
About Lab-to-Lab →From first contacts to cooperation
Timeline
Trace the milestones that brought American and Russian scientists together, from 1953 to 2015.
Five chapters of the shared work
Cooperation
Verification
The 1988 experiment brought U.S. and Soviet scientists together at their nuclear test sites, building technical understanding and personal contact.
Explore the chapter →
Scientific collaboration
Shared research in pulsed power, materials, computation, and other fields became the foundation of scientific cooperation.
Explore the chapter →
Nuclear materials
Laboratory partnerships advanced nuclear materials protection, control, and accounting across Russia.
Explore the chapter →
Cooperation began with a conversation
People & stories
Behind the agreements and experiments were people. Discover their recollections, everyday encounters, poetry, and the friendships that grew across borders.
Meet the people and read their stories →Explore the collection
Archive
Explore the documents, interviews, accounts and essays, photos, and videos that record this history.
Browse photo collections and videos, or search for a particular person, subject, or event.