Farm Hall and the German atomic project of World War II : a dramatic history

This gripping book brings back to life the events surrounding the internment of ten German Nuclear Scientists immediately after World War II. It is also an "eye-witness" account of the dawning of the nuclear age, with the dialogue and narrative spanning the period before, during and after atomic bombs were dropped on Japan at the end of the war. This pivotal historical episode is conveyed, along with the emotions as well as the facts, through drama, historical narrative, and photographs of the captive German nuclear scientists - who included Werner Heisenberg, Otto Hahn, and Max von Laue. The unique story that unfolds in the play is based on secretly recorded transcripts of the scientists’ actual conversations at Farm Hall, together with related documents and photographs. Acknowledgments 6 Contents 7 Abbreviations 8 Introduction 9 1 Farm Hall 13 Characters in Order of Appearance 14 The Play 19 2 A Brief History of the German Project, Alsos, and Farm Hall 53 The Pre-war Regime 54 Nuclear Fission 57 The Early War Years 60 The Copenhagen Visit 63 The Turning Point 66 The Later War Years 68 The Alsos Mission 71 The Meager Progress 87 Farm Hall 91 The Farm Hall Transcripts 98 3 Science, History, Drama 101 4 Historical Sources: The Farm Hall Reports 107 Excerpts from the Farm Hall Reports 110 Excerpt from Erich Bagge’s “Internment Diary” (Translated) 134 Bibliography 135 Archival Materials 135 Publications 135 Front Matter ....Pages i-xiv Farm Hall (David C. Cassidy)....Pages 1-40 A Brief History of the German Project, Alsos, and Farm Hall (David C. Cassidy)....Pages 41-88 Science, History, Drama (David C. Cassidy)....Pages 89-94 Historical Sources: The Farm Hall Reports (David C. Cassidy)....Pages 95-122 Back Matter ....Pages 123-125