A bridge not attacked : chemical warfare civilian research during World War II

This volume tells the novel true stories concerning highly talented civilian scientists in some unusual places and situations during World War II. The purpose of the work is to present an almost forgotten history of secret war research in universities. The focus is on the narrow subject of chemical warfare research and on a small number of individuals, but with in-depth study of these individuals and what they did. Mostly graduate students and young instructors, they were working under the direction of professors at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the University of California (Berkeley). Action took place in California, Florida and the jungles of Panama. This history touches on the work of four senior Nobel Prize winners and eight junior, future Nobel Prize winners at Caltech and Berkeley. This book gives an almost forgotten history concerning civilian university scientists, who carried out research on defense against poison gases in some unusual places during World War II. Most of these were graduate students, working under the direction of professors at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the University of California (Berkeley). The first job on these projects was to make major improvements on gas masks. Later, most activities were done outdoors to assess the effects of terrain and meteorological conditions on the travel and dissipation of toxic gas clouds. Action took place in California, Florida, and the jungles of Panama.On these two parallel projects, one young participant was a big, healthy, athletic extrovert, who was deeply trained in the physical sciences, and by age twenty-nine (in 1943) was world famous in physics and in biology. Another was opposite in many ways: a skinny sickly loner, who was minimally schooled in science and mathematics. From the ten principal people working on these two projects, one was killed by accident while experimenting with a poison gas in the laboratory; another was proud of how he had defeated the draft system in an unusual way. Emory University -- California Institute Of Technology (caltech) -- One Day, Hal -- War Gases Studies In The Laboratory -- Changes In The Nature Of Our Research To Micrometeorology -- University Of California Cyclotrons -- Dearest Helena -- Sam's Brilliant Research Career In Science -- Sam Ruben's Contribution To Chemical Warfare Research -- One Day, Sam -- Sam Ruben Bibliography -- Tribute To Sam And 11 Other Young Chemists By Professor W.a. Noyes, Jr. -- Bushnell, Florida -- Army Field Tests -- Switch To Persistent War Gases -- Micrometeorological Tree Tower -- Odyssey -- San Jose Island, Panama -- Southwest Pacific -- Interpretation Of Observed Meteorological And Weapon-test Data -- Last Phase Of Our Work -- Thoughts About War Gases In World War Ii Based On Cases In This Book -- In Conclusion -- Breadth Of Activities Of National Defense Research Committee (ndrc) -- Ndrc Division 8, Explosives -- Division 11, Chemical Engineering -- Figure 7.1 Is A Picture Of Failure, And It Gives A Glimpse Of Some Lost History. Harold Johnston. This book tells the novel true stories concerning highly talented civilian scientists in some unusual places and situations during World War II. The purpose of this book is to present an almost forgotten history of secret war research in universities. The focus is on the narrow subject of chemical warfare research and on a small number of individuals, but with in-depth study of these individuals and what they did. Mostly graduate students and young instructors, they were working under the direction of professors at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the University of California (Berkeley). Action took place in California, Florida and the jungles of Panama. This history touches on the work of four senior Nobel Prize winners and eight junior, future Nobel Prize winners at Caltech and Berkeley This book gives an almost forgotten history concerning civilian university scientists, who carried out research on defense against poison gases in some unusual places during World War II. Most of these were graduate students, working under the direction of professors at the California Institute of Technology (Cal tech) and the University of California (Berkeley). The first job on these projects was to make major improvements on gas masks. Later, most activities were done outdoors to assess the effects of terrain and meteorological conditions on the travel and dissipation of toxic gas clouds. Action took Doctor Medicine Johnston, Jr., at age nine, saw and heard the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia, as the Union troops forced their way toward Atlanta.