Atomic spies

Atomic spies

Atomic spies were people in the United States, the United Kingdom, or Canada who shared secret information about nuclear weapons with the Soviet Union during World War II and the early Cold War. This information told how to make and design powerful weapons.

The spies had different reasons for doing this. Some believed strongly in communism and wanted to help the Soviet Union. Others were paid money.

The truth about who did what is still debated by experts today. Important clues came from the Venona project, which decoded secret messages sent by the Soviet Union. These messages helped identify several spies, including Klaus Fuchs, Harry Gold, David Greenglass, Julius Rosenberg, and physicist Theodore Hall, all of whom worked at places like Los Alamos.

More information came from documents written by a former Soviet officer, Alexander Vassiliev, and the story of spy George Koval. Their actions changed the course of the Cold War and the story of nuclear weapons in the world.

Importance

Before World War II, scientists were very interested in nuclear fission. They wondered if it could be used for powerful energy or weapons. But they thought making an atomic weapon was very hard and not possible then.

Because of this, the United States, with help from Britain and Canada, started a big project called the Manhattan Project in 1942 to try to build an atomic bomb. This project needed a lot of money, materials, and smart scientists.

The Soviet Union also wanted to build its own atomic bomb. They had fewer scientists and resources, so they tried to get secret information from the Manhattan Project. Some people, called atomic spies, gave this information to the Soviets. These spies were scientists and others who worked on the Manhattan Project and shared details about how to build the bomb.

Because of this help, the Soviet Union could build its first atomic bomb faster. This competition for nuclear power became a big part of the tension between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Notable suspected spies

Some people were thought to have shared secret information about making nuclear weapons with another country during World War II and the early Cold War. What they shared, and whether they actually did, is still debated.

• Haakon Chevalier and George C. Eltenton were linked to a 1943 event where Robert Oppenheimer was asked to share information about the Manhattan Project.

• Morris Cohen, an American, shared important details about the United States atomic bomb project with the Soviet Union. He and his wife, Lona, served time in prison before being released.

• Klaus Fuchs, a British physicist, worked on the Manhattan Project and was later arrested and sentenced to prison. He was released after several years and moved to Dresden.

• Harry Gold, another American, helped pass secret information to the Soviets. He was arrested, confessed, and served many years in prison before being released.

• David Greenglass, an American, admitted to sharing some details with the Russians during World War II. He was sentenced to prison but served less time than expected.

• Theodore Hall, a young American physicist, shared important details about the bomb development with the Soviets. He moved to England after the war.

• George Koval, who was born in America but returned to the Soviet Union, worked for the Soviet military and obtained information about bomb materials.

• Irving Lerner, an American film director, was caught taking photos of a scientific instrument in 1944.

• Alan Nunn May, a British scientist, was one of the first to be discovered sharing secrets and was sentenced to prison.

• Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were an American couple tried for helping share secret information.

• Saville Sax helped deliver information for Klaus Fuchs and Theodore Hall.

• Oscar Seborer worked on the Manhattan Project and later moved to the Soviet Union.

• Morton Sobell, an American engineer, was convicted and served many years in prison.

• Melita Norwood, a British secretary, worked for many years sharing secrets with the Soviet Union.

• Arthur Adams was another person who shared information about the Manhattan Project.