Trinity

Dive into the gripping narrative of 'Trinity,' a groundbreaking book that offers an in-depth exploration of the atomic bomb’s inception during a time of global conflict. This compelling account not only details the life of Rudolf Peierls, the bomb's metaphorical father, but also unravels the complex web of espionage involving Klaus Fuchs, the infamous atomic spy. Set against a backdrop of pre-war Nazi Germany, World War II, and the Cold War, this carefully researched volume provides readers with an intimate look at the intertwined fates of scientists, spies, and their governments. With 528 pages of meticulous detail, author Frank Close, a distinguished nuclear physicist, expertly explains not just the science of atomic energy and its implications, but also the human motivations behind espionage. You’ll also discover the inner workings of the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos and the intense environment at Britain’s Harwell laboratory. This book sheds light on the mistakes made by MI5 and the FBI in their pursuit of Fuchs and offers a sobering reflection on how espionage reshaped the nuclear landscape. 'Trinity' is an essential read for anyone interested in history, nuclear physics, and the moral complexities of scientific discovery. Enjoy FREE shipping, and please allow up to 10 days for delivery.

Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9780141986449
Format: B-format paperback
Year: 2020
Publisher: Penguin UK
Pages: 528


Description:
'Trinity' was the codename for the test explosion of the atomic bomb in New Mexico on 16 July 1945. This exceptional book - Trinity - tells the story of the bomb's metaphorical father, Rudolf Peierls; his intellectual son, the atomic spy, Klaus Fuchs, and the ghosts of the security services in Britain, the USA and USSR.Against the background of pre-war Nazi Germany, the Second World War and the following Cold War, the book traces how Peierls brought Fuchs into his family and his laboratory, only to be betrayed. It describes how Fuchs became a spy, his motivations and the information he passed to his Soviet contacts, both in the UK and after he went with Peierls to join the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos in 1944. Frank Close is himself a distinguished nuclear physicist- uniquely, the book explains the science as well as the spying. Fuchs returned to Britain in August 1946 and became central to the UK's independent effort to develop nuclear weapons. Close describes the febrile atmosphere at Harwell, the nuclear physics laboratory near Oxford, and the charged relationships which developed there, and shows how - despite mistakes made by both MI5 and the FBI - the net gradually closed around Fuchs, building an intolerable pressure which finally cracked him.The Soviet Union exploded its first nuclear device in August 1949, far earlier than the US or UK expected. In 1951, the US Congressional Committee on Atomic Espionage concluded, 'Fuchs alone has influenced the safety of more people and accomplished greater damage than any other spy not only in the history of the United States, but in the history of nations'. This book is the most comprehensive account yet published of these events, and of the tragic figure at their centre.

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