---
born: 1924-12-04
category: Nuclear Scientists & Programs
died: 2020-01-29
location: Brooklyn, New York, USA
summary: Frank Press was the presidential science adviser during the Carter administration.
tags:
- Person
- Nuclear
- Israel
---

Frank Press was the presidential science adviser during the [Carter](/people/jimmy-carter/) administration. He was a seismologist who had worked for years on classified nuclear detection issues and knew the [VELA Satellite](/concepts/vela-satellite/) program well. After a VELA satellite recorded probable evidence of a nuclear explosion on September 22, 1979, Press suggested convening an unbiased outside study to determine if it was a test. He was concerned about the political implications if it leaked that the administration had concluded there had been a nuclear explosion.[^1]

[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 20.