The First War of Physics by Jim Baggott (PDF)

Description

An epic story of science and technology at the very limits of human understanding: the monumental race to build the first atomic weapons. Rich in personality, action, confrontation, and deception, The First War of Physics is the first fully realized popular account of the race to build humankind’s most destructive weapon. The book draws on declassified material, such as MI6’s Farm Hall transcripts, coded soviet messages cracked by American cryptographers in the Venona project, and interpretations by Russian scholars of documents from the soviet archives. Jim Baggott weaves these threads into a dramatic narrative that spans ten historic years, from the discovery of nuclear fission in 1939 to the aftermath of ‘Joe-1,’ August 1949’s first Soviet atomic bomb test. Why did physicists persist in developing the atomic bomb, despite the devastation that it could bring? Why, despite having a clear head start, did Hitler’s physicists fail? Could the soviets have developed the bomb without spies like Klaus Fuchs or Donald Maclean? Did the allies really plot to assassinate a key member of the German bomb program? Did the physicists knowingly inspire the arms race? The First War of Physics is a grand and frightening story of scientific ambition, intrigue, and genius: a tale barely believable as fiction, which just happens to be historical fact. 24 pages of black-and-white photographs

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “This 576-page history provides an excellent introduction to a vast and complicated topic. By examining the competition among America, Russia, and Germany, it knits together developments on different sides of the Atlantic into a brisk, exciting and comprehensive narrative.” – Michael Dobbs, The New York Times Book Review“Starred Review. As readers will recognize while pondering a conclusion outlining the global implications of the 2002 Moscow Treat on nuclear disarmament, we still live in the shadow of the events chronicled so vividly here.” – Booklist“World War II changed many things and not the least among them was the relationship of science to the military. Readers interested in this important historic transformation will find Jim Baggott’s engaging history replete with drama and insight.” – Martin J. Sherwin, co-author of American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Biography“This is a very good book. I particularly like the way Baggott has been able to weave the science, ‘grand-scale’ politics and espionage together into one compelling narrative.” – Mark Walker, author of German National Socialism and the Quest for Nuclear Power“I never read such a good, comprehensive account as Jim Baggott’s. Highly recommended.” – A. N. Wilson, author of London: A History About the Author Jim Baggott is an award-winning science writer. A former academic chemist, he maintains a broad interest in science, philosophy, and history, and writes on these subjects for New Scientist and other journals. His books have been widely acclaimed and include A Beginner’s Guide to Reality (Pegasus, 2006), The First War of Physics (Pegasus, 2010), The Meaning of Quantum Physics (Oxford, 1992), and Beyond Measure: Modern Physics, Philosophy, and the Meaning of Quantum Theory (Oxford, 2004). He lives in England.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Book Review – The First War of Physics: The Secret History of the Atom Bomb, 1939-1949, by Jim BaggottThis book covers the development of the atomic bomb from the point of the first “what if?” theoretical thought about nuclear fission up until present day. The author does not just look at America’s race to develop the bomb but also reviews what was happening in Germany, Britain, Canada, the USSR and elsewhere.Divided into four sections the book covers the recruitment of nuclear physicists as World War 2 begins and the status of early nuclear research in all countries. This is followed by a review of the difficulty of obtaining materials and the first attempts to create an atomic pile or critical, self-sustaining nuclear reaction. The author takes us on an interesting side trip to discuss the sabotage of the heavy water plant in Norway which the German’s were counting on in their atomic bomb program. If you have read the books Assault In Norway by Thomas Gallagher, The Real Heroes of Telemark: The True Story of the Secret Mission to Stop Hitler’s Atomic Bomb by Ray Mears or Skis Against the Atom by Knut Haukelid or have seen the movie The Heroes of Telemark, you know this story. Having read and seen all of the above, Baggott does a great job of summarizing that stories place in the development of the atomic bomb.Part 3 of the book discusses the search for German nuclear scientists after the D-Day landings and the development and testing of the atomic bomb at Los Alamos and its devastating use in Japan at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The last part of the book discusses the beginnings of the Cold War, espionage related to the atomic bomb, the development of the hydrogen bomb and the scientists attitude and thoughts on what they have unleashed.The author does a great job of bringing to life the many real-life scientists, engineers, soldiers and spies in this story, including: Fermi, Bohr, Heisenberg, Oppenheimer, Groves, Fuchs, Teller, Szilard, Sakharov, Rosenberg, and many others.While this book may sound like a dry topic to many, if you have an interest in World War 2, the development of the atomic bomb, or the beginnings of the Cold War, I believe that you will find it an entertaining and elucidating read.

⭐This was a reasonably engrossing book that seems to have been very well researched. I have also read “The History of the Atomic Bomb” which I thought was a little bit better book. This book spends more time on the many different individuals who contributed to the project and also discusses in some depth the individuals and the information that they gave to the Russians on the atomic bomb. The history and timeline of Russian activities are also discussed in some detail.The information and author’s conclusions on what the German scientists did and why they did it during WWII wrt reactor development are also interesting.You have to be interested in this topic and have some understanding of nuclear physics to get through this book and understand what it is being discussed.

⭐This is a very thorough history from the early conjecture that energy might be liberated through the tapping of nuclear forces to the development of thermonuclear weapons by the US and the USSR. It is a history of the attendant physics and in that respect it is comprehensive and intelligible. Baggott’s experience as a physicist and academic makes this an exceptional opportunity to learn though a compelling narrative.As a history, “The First War of Physics” achieves something even greater. The politics, military action and espionage are catalogued with accuracy and compassion, but judgment is muted. Thorough treatment of partisan actions in Scandinavia, madmen in Hitler’s and Stalin’s fascist regimes, tensions between the military and scientific establishments, and cold war politics and political paranoia: these form the backdrop for a gripping narrative which presents facts, theories and possibilities. The actions and thinking of physicists such as Bohr, Heisenberg, Szilard, Oppenheimer and (to a lesser extent, unfortunately, Bohm) are researched thoroughly, reviewed and conclusions offered. Interpretation and judgment are largely left to the Epilogue where guilt is considered, including that to be shouldered by scientists. How the individual physicists have fared throughout the almost three decades is also reviewed. This presentation of the facts to the reader, and presentation of a final discussion, is totally appropriate for this topic and Baggott’s extensive collation of information is rewarded. True, it’s as much about history as physics, but it is a complete exposition on both accounts.

⭐The explanation of the physics behind nuclear weapons is unusually clear,and the story is fascinating. Insights into the personalities of the “players” was very welcome to me. Names like Bohr, Fermi, and Heisenberg were always known to me, but I never before saw them as real people.My only complaint is that the book is a little too detailed. It is sometimes hard to remember who’s who.I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in the history of the war, and the willingness to work to understand the science.

⭐I was hesitant when reading my sample pages because it seemed too academic and dry for an interesting read. I’ve read a lot about nuclear physics and the people who discovered it but this was my first look at how their discoveries interacted with historical events beyond their control. This writer is both an excellent historian who presents detailed facts and personalities, and also offers a compelling narrative as a storyteller. Between the developing science and the unpredictable events of WWII, these scientists and political/military leaders found themselves in uncharted territory and it’s fascinating to see how events unfolded in both planned and unplanned ways. Even though I know story in general, the details really bring it to life. Each personality has their own scientific agenda, political issues, family complications, and collisions with historical events that together portray history as a lived event, not some distant memory.

⭐It was an excellent book. I have read several books about the atomic bomb project. Some of them were very good but none were as complete as this one. The research about the spying must have been very extensive. Some of the other books were more detailed about the technical side of the atomic bomb project itself. On the other hand they were weaker on the subject of spying. The book by Jim Baggott was an absolute bargain.John Puzey

⭐Would have liked more of the science rather than the people involved, but still a comprehensive history of A-bomb development.

⭐First rate. Can’t fault it at all.

⭐Excellent book! Jim Baggott provides a very clear and explanatory history of the development of the Atom Bomb.

⭐Very complete, compelling account. A very interesting read encompassing the german, english, american and soviet race to the atomic bomb.

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