The exact contribution provided respectively from Ulam and Teller to what became known as the Teller–Ulam design is not definitively known in the public domain, and the exact contributions of each and how the final idea was arrived upon has been a point of dispute in both public and classified discussions since the early 1950s.
De præcise bidrag givet af henholdsvis Ulam og Teller, hvilket senere blev kendt som Teller-Ulam designet, er ikke kendt til fulde i offentligheden, og disse bidrag og hvordan den endelige idé indfandt sig har været en stor uenighed i offentlige såvel som klassificerede diskussioner siden starten af 1950'erne.