Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World's Most Dangerous Weapon Flashcards
Where was Harry Gold from?
Philadelphia
What was the first piece of evidence the FBI found that showed that Harry was lying about being a homebody?
they found a bus schedule
What piece of evidence forced Harry to confess?
a map of New Mexico
What happened during Oppenheimer’s date with Melba Philips?
He got out to take a walk and left Melba in the car. He walked all the way home and left her in the car.
Why did Oppenheimer’s parents keep him inside?
He would easily get sick
Why was he sent to sport’s camp?
to toughen him up
Why did they call him Cutie at camp?
because he wrote home every week and he wrote poetry
What did the kids at camp do to Robert?
They painted him with green paint
What was the student petition about when Robert was in college?
The petition was to stop Robert from interrupting class with his own theories.
Why did Robert get interested in politics?
Because the Depression was affecting the students he taught and they weren’t able to get jobs
Why did he help Jews escape Germany?
Because he was a Jew and he had family in Germany
What metal did Hahn use in his experiments?
Uranium
Who did Hahn write to about his experiments?
Lise Meitner
Why did Lise Meitner move to Sweden?
She was forced out of Germany because she was Jewish
Who brought the news of the uranium atom splitting in America?
Neils Bohr
What did the scientist call the splitting of the atom?
fission
What did the two physicists want to ask Einstein to do?
They wanted Einstein to warn President Roosevelt of the possibility of a German atomic bomb.
What did Einstein urge the U.S. to do?
1) explore building an atomic bomb in the U.S., 2) stop the sale of Uranium to Germany
What was the goal of the Uranium committee?
They were to find out the basics of how an atomic bomb might work and what you would need to build one.
Why did Einstein write another letter to Roosevelt?
To tell him that Germany was doing secret atomic bomb research.
What did Tom Black want to do with Harry Gold?
He wanted to make him a communist.
What did Gold learn about Communism?
He learned that the Soviet Government made all of the decisions about what the economy should produce and how goods should be distributed.
Why do communists believe in this way of government?
Because they believe it will wipe out greed and poverty.
Why did Gold decide to spy for the Soviets?
Because he wanted to thank Black for getting him a job and repay the debt to him
Why did Gold want to stop spying for the Soviets?
Because it was run by a ruthless dictator, Joseph Stalin, and the people weren’t treated well.
Why did Fred want God to get a job at a weapon’s factory?
So Gold could get some technology that was valuable to the Soviets.
What did “Sam” teach Gold?
the basics of spying
According to the Russians, why was America helping Russia?
The Americans were glad the Russians were doing the work of fighting Hitler.
Why was the FBI watching Joseph Oppenheimer?
Because he was friends with a communist.
Why did America cut off the oil supply from Japan?
They thought it would stop the Japanese from fighting other nations.
Who were the allies?
US, Great Britain, Soviet Union
Who were the Axis?
Germany, Italy and Japan
What did Oppenheimer want Serber to do?
To move to Berkley and to be Oppenheimer’s assistant
What did Haukelid and his friends do to the Nazi officer on the ferry?
They threw him into the lake.
What did Haukelid do in the secret resistance group?
He sent information on German military movements to the British.
Why was there no research published on fission?
Fission was being worked on in the US and they wanted to keep that work secret.
Why couldn’t the Soviets make their own atomic bomb?
Because they were busy fighting the Germans and making bombs to use against the Germans right away.
What did the Soviets do to get the bomb?
They used their KGB spies in the US to get info about the bomb.
What did Hiskey tell Franklin?
He told him that he was working on the bomb with other scientists.
What happened to Hiskey?
He was drafted into the army and shipped to Canada.
What does “Enormoz” mean and what was it?
It means enormous and that was the code name for the project to steal the atomic bomb.
Why was Churchhill nervous while riding with Roosevelt?
Because Roosevelt’s legs didn’t work because he had polio and he didn’t know how he was controlling the car.
What was the code name of the atomic bomb project?
The Manhattan Project
What was the FBI concerned about in Oppenheimer’s background?
He had interest in the Communist party.
How did Ruth Werner get a radio transmitter in Britain?
She hid them in her children’s stuffed animals and assembled it at home.
What did the government do to the boys’ school in Los Alamos?
They closed it down to build an atomic bomb.
