Fallout: Conspiracy, Cover-up, and the Making of the Atomic Bomb

Unprecedented scientific breakthroughs, World War geopolitics, and the birth of the Cold War serve as the backdrop to this thorough history of the atomic bomb from journalist and historian Watson (The Modern Mind). Watson posits that “by not acting as allies, the Allies kick-started the nuclear arms race we inherit today” and outlines how various actors kept various pieces of important information from others: the U.S. hid from its scientists the Germans’ lack of nuclear arsenal and from the British that Soviet spies were aware of the American research. Alongside well-known scientists such as Niels Bohr, Werner Heisnberg, and Karl Fuchs, Watson brings into the spotlight critical yet lesser-known actors, such as Austrian scientific publisher and spy Paul Rosbaud, who worked undercover for England. The book’s strongest section juxtaposes Bohr’s efforts to share information through official channels with the more illicit efforts of physicist-spy Fuchs to inform the Russians of nuclear developments; the idea that nuclear transparency was essential to maintaining peace was pervasive in some diplomatic and scientific circles. The question of whether the atomic bomb was even needed to win the war recurs throughout. Watson’s speculations about the potential knock-on effects of a non-nuclear end to WWII feel a little overstated. However, he writes about quantum physics and scientific developments in an accessible way that even the uninitiated will appreciate. Agent: Robin Straus, Robin Straus Agency. (Sept.)

Correction: An earlier version of this review misstated the nature of the secrets kept by the U.S. during the development of the atomic bomb.