Although Holloway had a well-earned reputation for his administrative ability , Bradbury 's decision to put him in charge was not popular , especially with Edward Teller . The two men had clashed a number of times over a number of different issues . Holloway 's appointment was therefore " like waving a red flag in front of a bull " . Teller wrote that : Teller left the project on September 17 , 1952 , just a week after the announcement of Holloway 's appointment . Nor was Teller the only one who chafed under Holloway 's leadership style . Before the Ivy Mike test , Wallace Leland and Harold Agnew put a shark in Holloway 's bed . " He never said anything , " Agnew recalled , " but after that he was much more collegial . " The Ivy Mike test on November 1 , 1952 was a complete success , but it was not a weapon so much as an experiment to verify the Teller and Stanislaw Ulam 's design . Years of work was still required to produce a usable weapon
Ivy Mike
Ivy Mike
Marshall Holloway