Making of the Atomic Bomb

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Making of the Atomic Bomb Page 113

by Richard Rhodes


  1831. “Four-storey . . . the pavement”: quoted in ibid., p. 276.

  1832. two million Soviet soldiers: Elliot (1972), p. 48. Elliot puts total Soviet military POWs at 5 million and POW deaths at 3 million; I use his number here of those enclosed in occupied Russia, of which he writes: “Total deprivation of entire enclosed populations . . . does not exist elsewhere in human history.” The other 3 million were treated with more customary brutality.

  1833. mammalian reflex: cf. Kruuk (1972).

  1834. “We must . . . we’ve got”: quoted in Hopkins (1966), p. 464.

  1835. Lewis committee findings: cf. Hawkins (1947), p. 24.

  1836. “In this . . . for U235”: ibid., p. 71.

  1837. “I guess . . . why?”: interview with Glenn Seaborg, Berkeley, Calif., June 22, 1982.

  1838. “Then I . . . suitcase”: ibid.

  1839. “Of course not”: Groves (1962), p. 160.

  1840. “all his . . . the Navy”: Joseph Hirschfelder, quoted in Badash (1980), p. 82.

  1841. “within a . . . the job”: Groves (1962), p. 160.

  1842. Tuve reassignment: cf. V. Bush to MT, Aug. 14, 1941. Bush-Conant File, f. 4.

  1843. “As a . . . externally”: Ramsey (1946), p. 6ff.

  1844. B-29: cf. Birdsall (1980). The first service-test model flew June 27, 1943 (ibid., p. 18).

  1845. “On August . . . subsequent tests”: Ramsey (1946), p. 7.

  1846. “At that . . . gun method”: Badash (1980), p. 17.

  1847. “Those tests . . . practical method”: ibid.

  1848. “It stinks”: quoted in Davis (1968), p. 216.

  1849. “With everyone . . . the beer”: quoted in ibid.

  1850. “a simple . . . sophisticated”: quoted in ibid., p. 217.

  1851. “Johnny was . . . previously discussed”: quoted in Blumberg and Owens (1976), p. 455.

  1852. JvN and ET to JRO: the official record says “autumn.” I conjecture October because the governing board met Oct. 28, 1943. Hawkins (1947), p. 76.

  1853. “In order . . . 1943”: Ramsey (1946), p. 8ff.

  1854. “Professor Bohr . . . micro-slide”: Rozental (1967), p. 192 plate.

  1855. “The letter . . . help”: ibid., p. 193ff.

  1856. “if I . . . refuge here”: quoted in ibid., p. 194.

  1857. 3.6 million Germans: Yahil (1969), p. 118.

  1858. “Danish statesmen . . . government”: ibid., p. 200ff.

  1859. Margrethe Bohr remembers: cf. Moore (1966), p. 302.

  1860. “We had . . . small bag”: quoted in ibid., p. 303.

  1861. Bohr appeals to Swedish government: Flender (1963), p. 76. Flender interviewed Bohr at length; his account is garbled, however.

  1862. 284 people: Yahil (1969), p. 187.

  1863. Sept. 30, 1943: Yahil (1969), p. 328, puts this meeting “the day after [Bohr’s] arrival in Stockholm,” i.e., Oct. 1, 1943. But cf. Rozental (1967), p. 168: “on the same evening . . . .”

  1864. “went to . . . of Sweden”: Rozental (1967), p. 169.

  1865. contacted the Danish ambassador: Yahil (1969), p. 330.

  1866. “The audience . . . operation”: Rozental (1967), p. 169.

  1867. “At the . . . received”: quoted in Yahil (1969), p. 219.

  1868. “The stay . . . in Sweden”: Rozental (1967), p. 195.

  1869. “The Royal . . . as Bohr’s”: Oppenheimer (1963), III (Los Alamos version), p. 7.

  1870. “The Mosquito . . . conscious again”: Rozental (1967), p. 196.

  1871. “Once in . . . going on”: Oppenheimer (1963), III, p. 7.

  1872. “good first . . . years before”: ibid., p. 8.

  1873. “The work . . . expected”: Rozental (1967), p. 196.

  1874. “To Bohr . . . fantastic”: Oppenheimer (1963), III, p. 7.

  Chapter 15: Different Animals

  1875. “depends on . . . its mass”: Brobeck and Reynolds (1945), p. 4.

  1876. “When the . . . of metal”: ibid., p. 5.

  1877. 100-microgram sample: ibid., p. 7.

  1878. “that . . . be assured”: EOL to LRG, Aug. 3, 1943. Bush-Conant file, f. 19.

  1879. “At one . . . Troy ounce”: Groves (1962), p. 107.

  1880. electromagnetic separation buildings: “Pertinent reference data, CEW.” Dec. 1, 1944. MED 319.1, p. 3ff.

  1881. 20,000 workers: W. E. Kelley to W. H. Marsden, Aug. 9, 1943. MED misc., f. 4.

  1882. 40 kg U235: JRO to LRG, Sept. 25, 1943, p. 3 MED 337.

  1883. Army engineer’s summary: W. E. Kelley to E. H. Marsden, Aug. 9, 1943. MED misc., f.4.

  1884. one supervisor remembers: interview with Leon Love, Oak Ridge, Tenn., 1975.

  1885. “moved the . . . they belonged”: Groves (1962), p. 105ff.

  1886. “The first . . . shorting”: ibid., p. 104ff.

  1887. Dunning’s staff: Cohen (1983), p. 641.

  1888. “three methods . . . method”: quoted in ibid., p. 637ff.

  1889. “The method . . . stages”: Groves (1962), p. 111.

  1890. “Further . . . be solved”: quoted in Cohen (1983), p. 637ff.

  1891. 2,892 stages: Cave Brown (1977), p. 311.

  1892. “from that . . . applications”: Cohen (1983), p. 643.

  1893. “The Clinton . . . inoperable”: Groves (1962), p. 69ff.

  1894. real estate appraisal: “Gross Appraisal, Gable Project.” Jan. 21, 1943. MED 319.1.

  1895. Hanford description: ibid.

  1896. dimensions: Cave Brown (1977), p. 322.

  1897. 1:4000: Seaborg (1977), p. 548.

  1898. “With water . . . arise”: Compton (1956), p. 170.

  1899. “the conscience . . . very end”: Weart and Szilard (1978), p. 148.

  1900. “Local storms . . . dust”: Libby (1979), p. 167.

  1901. “The most . . . guns”: quoted in Groueff (1967), p. 141.

  1902. “was a . . . morning”: Libby (1979), p. 167.

  1903. “work gangs . . . the year”: Hewlett and Anderson (1962), p. 216ff.

  1904. Forty-foot pile building: Hewlett and Anderson (1962), p. 217, give 120 feet; that measurement includes the detached exhaust stack, however. Cf. Libby (1979), p.167, and Hewlett and Anderson (1962), photo following p. 224.

  1905. “There was . . . animals”: Badash (1980), p. 91.

  1906. “Years later . . . that”: Teller (1962), p. 211.

  1907. Soviet research: cf. York (1976), p. 29ff; Alexandrov (1967); Golovin (1967); Szulc (1984).

  1908. “The advance . . . safety”: Golovin (1967), p. 14.

  1909. “In recent . . . inhabitants”: quoted in York (1976), p. 30.

  1910. “no time . . . bomb”: ibid.

  1911. “So it . . . places”: Alexandrov (1967), p. 12.

  1912. “Even so . . . isotopes”: York (1976), p. 31.

  1913. Groves’ anti-Semitism: cf. transcript of Groves interview of March 8, 1946, Szilard Papers: “Only a man with [Szilard’s] brass would have pushed through to the President. Take Wigner or Fermi—they’re not Jewish—they’re quiet, shy, modest, just interested in learning . . . Of course, most of [Szilard’s] ideas are bad, but he has so many . . . . And I’m not prejudiced. I don’t like certain Jews and I don’t like certain well-known characteristics of theirs but I’m not prejudiced.”

  1914. “If the . . . bomb”: Smith (1965), p. 27.

  1915. “There is . . . obsolete”: Weart and Szilard (1978), p. 165.

  1916. TO REMOVE . . . NOW: AHC to LRG. Oct. 26, 1942. MED 201, Leo Szilard.

  1917. SZILARD . . . MYSELF: AHC to LRG, Oct. 28, 1942. MED 201, Leo Szilard.

  1918. “enemy alien . . . war”: draft Sec. of War to Atty. Gen., Oct. 28, 1942. MED 201, Leo Szilard.

  1919. Compton to Groves mid-November: Nov. 13, 1942. MED 201, Leo Szilard.

  1920. “for inventions . . . it”: LS to AHC, Dec. 4, 1942. Bush-Conant File, f. 13.

  1921. Compton to Briggs: cf. AHC to JBC, Jan. 7, 1943. Bush-Conant File, f. 13.
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  1922. “the basic . . . inventions”: LS to AHC, Dec. 29, 1942. MED 072, Szilard patents.

  1923. $750,000: undated memorandum, “Leo Szilard,” p. 3. MED 12, Intelligence and security.

  1924. “Szilard’s case . . . Government”: AHC to JBC, Jan. 7, 1943. Bush-Conant File, f. 13.

  1925. “This is . . . present”: LS to AHC, Jan. 13, 1943. MED 072, Szilard patents.

  1926. “It is . . . research”: VB to AHC, Jan. 29, 1943. Bush-Conant File, f. 13.

  1927. “comparable . . . Wigner”: AHC to JBC, Feb. 3, 1943. MED 072. Compton notes at the head of this letter that it was never sent but was communicated orally.

  1928. “The investigation . . . person”: LRG to Capt. Calvert, June 12, 1943. MED 201.

  1929. “The surveillance . . . to go”: “Memorandum for the officer in charge,” June 24, 1943. MED 201.

  1930. “Age, 35 . . . no hat”: ibid.

  1931. “(Mr. Wigner . . . the Navy”: ibid.

  1932. “failed to . . . pile”: RAL to LRG (n.d.), “copy made for Maj. Peterson 8-2-43.” MED 072.

  1933. “You were . . . assurance”: LRG to LS, Oct. 9, 1943. MED 201.

  1934. Dec. 3 Chicago meeting: H. E. Metcalfe, “A memorandum of a conference held át the Chicago Area Office, U.S. Engineers, on 3 December 1943.” MED 072.

  1935. “not to . . . person”: LRG to LS, Oct. 8, 1943. MED 072.

  1936. “who at . . . around me”: LS to VB, Jan. 14, 1944. Bush-Conant File, f. 13. Reprinted in Weart and Szilard (1978), p. 161ff.

  1937. “I feel . . . project”: VB to LS, Jan. 18, 1944. Bush-Conant File, f. 13.

  1938. “the only . . . at present”: Weart and Szilard (1978), p. 165.

  1939. “The attitude . . . initiative”: ibid., p. 177.

  1940. “The scientists . . . are out”: ibid., p. 178.

  1941. Fermi and poisoning food: cf. JRO to EF, May 25, 1943. JRO Papers, Box 33.

  1942. Met Lab worries: cf. A. H. Compton, J. B. Conant, H. Urey, “Radioactive material as a military weapon.” MED 319.1, Literature. Appendix IV, p. 7.

  1943. May 1943/before February: May is the month of JRO’s letter to Fermi, which mentions the subcommittee; February is the date of a table of biological effects given in ibid., Appendix I, p. 4ff.

  1944. “I therefore . . . than this”: JRO to EF, May 25, 1943. JRO Papers, Box 33.

  1945. “the Sanscrit . . . or hurt”: quoted in Davis (1968), p. 330.

  1946. “Recent reports . . . large companies”: HAB and ET to JRO, July 21, 1943. JRO Papers, Box 20.

  1947. Conant subcommittee report: MED 319.1.

  1948. Cosmos Club: Irving (1967), p. 166.

  1949. Vemork bombing and ferry sinking: cf. ibid., p. 174ff; Haukelid (1954), p. 149ff.

  1950. 97.6 to 1.1 percent: Irving (1967), p. 188.

  1951. “a one-man . . . another”: Haukelid (1954), p. 156.

  1952. “The fact . . . at all”: ibid., p. 160.

  1953. “The answer . . . Greetings”: ibid., p. 161.

  1954. “We had . . . place”: ibid., p. 163.

  1955. “As the . . . enough”: ibid., p. 167ff.

  1956. “The timing . . . properly”: ibid., p. 163.

  1957. “Rolf . . . at ten”: ibid., p. 165.

  1958. “Armed with . . . took time”: ibid., p. 166ff.

  1959. “The charge . . . side”: ibid., p. 167.

  1960. “Making the . . . disaster”: ibid., p. 168.

  1961. “When one . . . war ended”: quoted in Irving (1967), p. 191.

  1962. “Europe was . . . stepchild”: quoted in Costello (1981), p. 354.

  1963. “very uneasy . . . monkeys”: Hersey (1942), p. 36.

  1964. “The other . . . the Japs”: Grew (1942), p. 81.

  1965. “The Japanese . . . and nations”: ibid., p. 79.

  1966. “united . . . totalitarian”: ibid., p. 80.

  1967. “At this . . . to fight”: ibid., p. 80ff.

  1968. “ ‘Victory or . . . his country”: ibid., p. 82.

  1969. “General . . . hand grenade”: quoted in Manchester (1980), p. 183.

  1970. “A legend . . . or dead”: Hersey (1942), p. 36.

  1971. “in the . . . cause”: Grew (1942), p. 80.

  1972. “At the . . . defeat it”: Manchester (1980), p. 240.

  1973. “The general . . . isolated cases”: Tregaskis (1943), p. 79.

  1974. “1 know . . . fighting Japan”: Grew (1942), p. 82.

  1975. “It seems . . . the enemy”: Wolfe (1943), p. 190.

  1976. unconditional surrender: cf. Churchill (1950), p. 695ff.

  1977. “We had . . . war effort”: quoted in ibid., p. 687.

  Chapter 16: Revelations

  1978. “How would . . . night train”: Frisch (1979), p. 145ff.

  1979. hearse: Clark (1980), p. 154.

  1980. “I wandered . . . laughter”: Frisch (1979), p. 148.

  1981. “Welcome . . . you?”: quoted in ibid., p. 150.

  1982. Quebec Agreement: for complete text cf. Gowing (1964), p. 439ff.

  1983. Bohr’s luggage: cf. Frisch (1979), p. 169.

  1984. “It was . . . London”: quoted in Bernstein (1980), p. 77.

  1985. “Explosion . . . of pile”: MED 337. Cf. also JRO to LRG, Jan. 1, 1944, same file.

  1986. “At that . . . Bohr”: Goudsmit (1947), p. 177.

  1987. “Bohr at . . . one”: Oppenheimer (1963), III (Los Alamos version), p. 10ff.

  1988. “made . . . hopeful”: Oppenheimer (1963), III, p. 11.

  1989. “He made . . . misgiving”: Oppenheimer (1963), III (Los Alamos version), p. 11.

  1990. “Bohr spoke . . . believe”: ibid.

  1991. “In Los . . . from him”: quoted in Moore (1966), p. 330.

  1992. “They . . . bomb”: quoted in Nielson (1963), p. 29.

  1993. “warm . . . relation”: FF memorandum headed “Private,” April 18, 1945. JRO Papers, Box 34.

  1994. “We talked . . . Campbell”: ibid.

  1995. “On hearing . . . B outlined”: unsigned Bohr memorandum, May 6, 1945. JRO Papers, Box 34.

  1996. “B met . . . in history”: ibid.

  1997. “On this . . . to X”: FF memorandum, April 18, 1945.

  1998. “F also . . . Minister”: NB memorandum, May 6, 1945.

  1999. “I wrote . . . government”: FF memorandum, April 18, 1945.

  2000. “Halifax . . . immediately”: Rozental (1967), p. 203.

  2001. “conservative . . . man”: Oppenheimer (1963), III (Los Alamos version), p. 8.

  2002. Anderson memorandum, March 21, 1944: cf. Clark (1980), p. 169—where a portion is quoted confusingly after a later memorandum—and Gowing (1964), p. 350ff.

  2003. “communicating . . . account”: quoted in Clark (1980), p. 169.

  2004. “I do . . . informed”: quoted in Gowing (1964), p. 352.

  2005. “to let . . . work”: PK to NB, Oct. 23, 1943. JRO Papers, Box 34.

  2006. “The Counsellor . . . the occupation”: “Conversation between B and Counsellor Zinchenko at the Soviet Embassy in London on April 20th, 1944, at 5 p.m.” JRO Papers, Box 34.

  2007. “We came . . . new prospects”: Rozental (1967), p. 203.

  2008. “One of . . . the war”: Snow (1981), p. 112.

  2009. R. V. Jones: cf. Jones (1966), p. 88ff.

  2010. “When I . . . Roosevelt”: ibid., p. 88.

  2011. “As he . . . politics!”: Rozental (1967), p. 204.

  2012. “We . . . language”: quoted in Gowing (1964), p. 355.

  2013. “downcast”: Rozental (1967), p. 204.

  2014. “It was . . . nuclear energy”: quoted in Nielson (1963), p. 29.

  2015. “I did . . . Street”: quoted in Clark (1980), p. 177.

  2016. “In all . . . present time”: quoted in Sherwin (1975), p. 108.

  2017. “He had . . . sad story”: Snow (1981), p. 116.

  2018. “that the . . . their decisions”: NB to WC, May 22,
1944. JRO Papers, Box 34.

  2019. “The way . . . Berlin”: Chandler (1970), III, p. 1865.

  2020. “About a . . . memorandum”: NB memorandum, May 6, 1945.

  2021. “It was . . . manual skill”: Rozental (1967), p. 205ff.

  2022. Bohr FDR memorandum: July 3, 1944. JRO Papers, Box 21. Relevant portions of the text of this unpublished document are quoted in NB’s “Open Letter to the United Nations” reprinted in Rozental (1967), p. 341.

  2023. “We are . . . by war”: quoted in Nielson (1963), p. 29ff. My italics.

  2024. “First of . . . of war”: Oppenheimer (1963), III (Los Alamos version) p. 8.

  2025. “a far . . . warfare”: NB memorandum, July 3, 1944.

  2026. “It appeared . . . divergencies”: Rozental (1967), p. 341. My italics.

  2027. “Much thought . . . confidence”: NB memorandum, July 3, 1944.

  2028. “The prevention . . . acuteness”: ibid.

  2029. “[Bohr] . . . the world”: Oppenheimer (1963), III (Los Alamos version) p. 9.

  2030. “What it . . . enlarged upon”: quoted in ibid.

  2031. “Within any . . . openness”: Rozental (1967), p. 350.

  2032. “An open . . . else”: ibid.

  2033. “The very . . . crisis”: ibid., p. 351.

  2034. “The present . . . the others”: NB memorandum, July 3, 1944.

  2035. “I have . . . purpose”: NB to FF, July 6, 1944. JRO Papers, Box 34.

  2036. “on August . . . manner”: NB memorandum, May 6, 1945.

  2037. “was very . . . spirits”: Rozental (1967), p. 205.

  2038. “most kindly . . . entertained”: NB memorandum, May 6, 1945.

  2039. “Roosevelt . . . afterwards”: Rozental (1967), p. 206ff.

  2040. “left with . . . Union”: unsigned memorandum “Notes on Bohr” dated May 20, 1948, on the stationery of the office of the Director of the Institute for Advanced Study. JRO Papers, Box 21.

  2041. “It is . . . expectation”: Rozental (1967), p. 207.

  2042. “This was . . . of Bohr”: Snow (1981), p. 116.

  2043. “The suggestion . . . Russians”: quoted in Gowing (1964), p. 447.

  2044. “The President . . . at all”: quoted in Clark (1981), p. 177.

  2045. “youthful . . . physicists”: Ulam (1976), p. 151.

  2046. “It was . . . major voice”: Bethe (1982). Communicated in manuscript; Ms. p. 2.

  2047. thermonuclear research: cf. Hawkins (1947), p. 24.

  2048. “That I . . . inevitable”: quoted in Bernstein (1980), p. 81.

 

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