"You know as a scientist that both were developed completely independently of each other in the laboratories. And only afterward were the political situations contrived out of which they could be justified"

This quote by E. P. Thompson is describing the development of the atomic bomb and the hydrogen bomb. Thompson is suggesting that the development of these two weapons was done separately of each other in the laboratories, and just after their advancement were the political situations contrived to validate their use. This suggests that the political motivations for the advancement of these weapons were not the main consider their development, but rather the scientific interest of the researchers. Thompson is suggesting that the political motivations for using these weapons were secondary to the scientific development of them. This quote is a tip that science and politics are often intertwined, but that the clinical development of weapons ought to not be overshadowed by the political inspirations for their use.