Teller was widely hated by liberals for testifying against [[J. Robert Oppenheimer]] in 1954 in hearings that resulted in the United States Atomic Energy Commission taking away Oppenheimer's security clearance. Teller testified, "I feel I would prefer to see the vital interests of this country in hands that I understand better and therefore trust more."
One of the few conservative academic physicists, Teller later supported President [[Ronald Reagan]]'s missile defense proposal known as [[Strategic Defense Initiative|Star Wars]].