atomic bomb

The Secret History: The First Physics Wars 1939-1949

Author: Jim Bagot

This book takes us on an exciting and terrifying journey at the same time. A realistic human drama that surpasses all the imaginations of writers and artists, it offers us a hearty meal, blending science, history, biographies, espionage adventures, conflicting interests, and beliefs. It all begins with the discovery of nuclear fission in a world raging with conflict. We see how politics and the drama of life manipulated the most famous scientists, how they conjured up a mighty giant with primitive, innate human motives. We gasp as we follow the frenzied conflict and Bagot's graceful narrative, which takes us between laboratories in Germany, Britain, France, America, and the Soviet Union, among heads of state, politicians, soldiers, and battles on the ground and in secret, in coded secret cables and dangerous leaks. This book is not only about the atomic bomb, and it reveals its secrets and the secrets of that turbulent period. It also reveals human nature at its most vulnerable. The book contemplates difficult moral dilemmas and calls on us to assume our responsibilities towards ourselves and the world. This is an essential book for anyone interested in science, history, politics, and ethics. It is a unique narrative, closer to a long novel that holds your breath, moves your heart, and excites your mind.