december january german theoretical physicist atomic spy convicted supplying information american british soviet_union shortly second world war responsible significant theoretical calculations relating nuclear weapons later early models hydrogen bomb son lutheran pastor attended father professor theology involved student politics joining student branch gold paramilitary organisation expelled joined went hiding fire fled united_kingdom received phd supervision worked assistant second world war broke europe interned later canada returned britain assistant working tube british atomic bomb project began passing information project soviet_union german communist major worked spy ring far_east went columbia_university new_york_city work manhattan_project august joined working chief area expertise problem necessary development bomb war returned worked head january confessed spy sentenced fourteen years imprisonment stripped british citizenship released serving years emigrated elected germany central committee later appointed deputy director served retired early life born grand december children lutheran pastor wife wagner known given older brother older sister younger sister family moved attended gymnasium took school siblings father unpopular political views came share known red german word fox entered father professor theology involved student politics joining student branch party father joined gold party paramilitary organisation father took new position professor religion kiel autumn transferred brother sister attended continued studies mathematics physics october mother committed suicide drinking acid family later discovered maternal grandmother taken life march german presidential election supported president fearing split vote hand job candidate adolf_hitler ran candidate offered speak expelled year siblings joined brother active speakers public meetings occasionally attempted disrupt gatherings gathering beaten thrown river hitler chancellor germany january decided leave kiel particularly strong known member enrolled berlin february took early train berlin meeting train read fire newspaper correctly assumed opposition parties blamed fire quietly removed hammer pin meeting berlin held secret fellow party members urged continue studies country went hiding months apartment fellow party member august attended anti fascist conference paris chaired met english couple invited stay somerset eventually expelled october refugee britain arrived england september member family heirs arranged meet bristol professor physics agreed research assistant earned physics paper quantum mechanical calculation elastic metals published proceedings time number german refugees working lacked positions think teacher arranged research post working german refugee published papers born statistical mechanics systems fluctuations electromagnetic radiation proceedings received doctorate science degree edinburgh copies father germany germany dismissed academic post disillusioned support arrested speaking government held month married fellow communist child named arrested sentenced months imprisonment freed christmas wife arrested spent years prison established car rental agency berlin jews opponents government germany arrested fled studied education psychology returned berlin worked car rental agency arranged friends united_states attend college visited england route america eventually married american communist settled cambridge massachusetts permanent resident united_states arrested rental cars fled czechoslovakia released went live sentenced years later escaped prison way czechoslovakia august committed suicide throwing train leaving raise young second world war applied british citizen august application processed second world war broke europe september classification system enemy aliens born provided reference said member anti nazi matters stood june police arrived took july sent camp quebec canada joined communist discussion group led member fought spanish civil war fleeing britain family helped organise britain arranged brother law friend bring magazines lobbied release christmas day group board ship return britain returned edinburgh january resumed working born published papers born mass centre iii wave functions nuclear theory approached work tube program british atomic bomb research project despite wartime restrictions granted british citizenship august signed declaration form accommodation scarce wartime birmingham stayed important work included fundamental paper separation soon contacted teaching contact alexander secretary military soviet_union embassy worked russian foreign military intelligence meetings teamed find travel london sister german communist major experienced agent worked spy ring far_east late rest charles transferred columbia_university new_york_city work means manhattan_project asset britain control transferred russian soviet_union civilian intelligence organisation moved new_york spent christmas family cambridge contacted agent early august worked chief area expertise problem core bomb point calculation work refused lack interest author techniques method calculating energy assembly goes highly prompt critical report blast waves considered classic later filed patent describing method initiate fusion weapon trigger scientists present trinity test considered valuable men division best theoretical known dated grade school teachers befriended members owned cars lent visit dying wife hospital main author pointed chosen gold experienced group contact grounds safer having meet directly russian operative ultimately responsible relationship gold reported meeting obviously worked people fully aware mathematical physicist likely brilliant man position age looks took long walk dinner member british mission working direct control work involves mainly separating electronic method developed berkeley california carried place known camp simultaneously method tried east method prove successful preliminary step separation final work electronic method hope electronic method ready early method july says estimate optimistic says withheld british country told post war request replaced director october stayed laboratory help preparations operation crossroads weapons tests mcmahon act prohibited transfer information nuclear research foreign country including britain explicit official authority supplied highly classified information nuclear scientists britain soviet contacts british official files withheld highly regarded scientist british wanted return united_kingdom work britain post war nuclear weapons program returned august head late gave soviet case officer principal theoretical outline creating hydrogen bomb initial drafts development work progressed meeting times provided results test bombs key data production later testified passed detailed information project soviet_union information super design hydrogen bomb attended conference committee created facilitate exchange atomic secrets highest levels governments united_states great_britain canada soviet spy attendance british secretary september information project indicated spy british intelligence services wary indicating source information soviets broken contact february subsequently tipped october approached head security news father given chair interrogation officer informal meeting december initially denied spy detained january arranged interview voluntarily confessed spy days later directed statement technical content deputy controller atomic energy told acquired agent berkeley california informed soviet_union electromagnetic separation research earlier statements british american intelligence agencies key witness trials united_states data soviet project said physicist knew truly changed history head soviet project foreign intelligence party check giving directly scientists trust information default unknown information substantial effect considering pace soviet program set primarily hard scholars accurately judge time saved according history communist international greatest contribution soviets processed use bomb gave gold technical information january acquired years experimentation cost million disclosed americans planned use atomic bomb information passed relating hydrogen bomb useful debated scholars agree assessment concluded time left program summer little known mechanism hydrogen bomb information useful soviet_union successful design devised soviet later noted americans eventually early designs useless later archival work soviet physicist german suggested early work help soviet efforts hydrogen bomb closer final correct solution recognized time spurred soviet research useful problems eventually provided correct answer work bomb including patent particular model weapon classified united_states difficult scholars fully assess conclusions case clear given soviets secret hydrogen bomb actually know later life espionage likely led cancel anglo american plan britain american atomic bombs prosecuted sir convicted march counts breaking official secrets act communicating information potential enemy trial lasting minutes lord sentenced fourteen years imprisonment maximum espionage soviet_union classed ally time december stripped british citizenship head british bomb project sir visited prison released june serving years months sentence required england long term prisoners entitled law good behaviour prison prison promptly emigrated gave chinese helped develop chinese atomic bomb tested years later according authors political history bomb historians nuclear weapons history challenged particular assertion asserted ambitious deeply flawed book married friend years student communist continued scientific career achieved considerable prominence elected central committee later appointed deputy director served retired received merit order died berlin january cremated ashes buried berlin cemetery
Klaus Fuchs