How Jόzef Rotblat left Los Alamos

Andrew BrownBelfer Center for Science and International AffairsKennedy School of GovernmentHarvard University

CIC agent’s report 23/11/44

• ‘to return to Poland at the earliest possible opportunity’

• ‘exchange pro-Russian and Communistic literature’

• CIC Agent’s report 23/11/44

once back in England Rotblat would enlist in the RAF andwhen the opportunity presented itself he would parachute into Polandor Russia.His aim was to alert the Russians to the Manhattan Project,about which he knew more than his seniors realized.

‘He said that if the United States is allowed to master the [weapon] first, she will be superior to Russia and probably make war on her…GRANT stated that ROTBLAT is extremely sensitive and is in despairbecause the world is suffering so much that he is willing to sacrifice his life to prevent its recurrence.’

CIC Agent’s report 4/12/44

Chadwick to Akers 18/12/44• These difficulties might become quite serious in the case of Rotblat, owing to

the complexity of the Polish situation and particularly as his family is probably all in Russian occupied territory.

• I discussed the problem with General Groves and he agreed that it would be wise to take immediate action.

• This development was not unwelcome to Rotblat himself and I was able to make all the arrangements with the US people concerned during my stay at Y.

• There are also very obvious advantages for us in having Rotblat in England for, although he has not been able to make many contributions directly to the work at Y

• Chadwick to Akers 18/12/44

‘So Jimmy [Chadwick] has squashed your RAF plansand I’m not in the least surprised’ M J Moore 8/1/45

‘The news of your future cheered me considerably, I had awful visions of you descending by parachute behind the lines etc.’ Elspeth Grant 6/1/45

My collection of nuclear data was finished a long time ago.I handed it over to Sir James, and he in turn gave it to Lord Portal;with him rests now the decision about printing and distribution.Incidentally, if my labours were somewhat prolonged, I cannot accept the blame.New data kept arriving all the time with people returning from Los Alamos,and their figures were as a rule contradictory, often due to mistakes in copying, and required a lot of checking and rechecking

Rotblat to Fuchs (6/1/47)

• ‘They wanted to know if you told me you were going to get into the Air Force (they wanted to know which Air Force) to parachute out over Poland… I said nonsense, you were never melodramatic…but you know now I think about it…I believe you did say something of the kind, but I inferred you wanted to do this in order to find your wife, not to join the Russians…am I right? (undated 1951)

• ‘Rotblat came in to see me on Tuesday and I advised him to tell his girl friend to reply to any enquiries quite frankly. I also asked him to write me a letter giving me the details of what exactly he had said – as far as he could remember at this late date. On receipt of this letter I propose to pass it with your own letter to our general security officer here.

• Pity some of these chaps have nothing better to do!

• Welsh to Chadwick (23/2/51)