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A review by rpnelson
Half-Life: The Divided Life of Bruno Pontecorvo, Physicist or Spy by Frank Close
4.0
A well-researched book on someone who at first glance seems to be a historical sidelight, but whom the author believes (with evidence) could have been a Nobel prize winner, had he not defected to the Soviet Union.
The mystery that the book traces is whether Bruno Pontecorvo ever have nuclear secrets to the Soviets before he defected. The answer is, there's no firm reference, though there is a circumstantial case.
What I liked most about this book was how it integrated history and science, and it showed a side of the development of nuclear technology that is left out of most American accounts. They tend to focus on events on US soil like Fermi's Chicago pile and the Manhattan Project. However, as Close's book illustrates, the first cousin reactor would probably have been in Europe were it not for the advance of fascism. The importance of Canadian and British science, too, is highlighted here.
One thing I'm inclined to disagree with Close about is Oleg Gordievsky's assessment of Pontecorvo. Despite not being able to provide hard evidence, Gordievsky's high rank in the KGB should give his statements considerable weight.
The mystery that the book traces is whether Bruno Pontecorvo ever have nuclear secrets to the Soviets before he defected. The answer is, there's no firm reference, though there is a circumstantial case.
What I liked most about this book was how it integrated history and science, and it showed a side of the development of nuclear technology that is left out of most American accounts. They tend to focus on events on US soil like Fermi's Chicago pile and the Manhattan Project. However, as Close's book illustrates, the first cousin reactor would probably have been in Europe were it not for the advance of fascism. The importance of Canadian and British science, too, is highlighted here.
One thing I'm inclined to disagree with Close about is Oleg Gordievsky's assessment of Pontecorvo. Despite not being able to provide hard evidence, Gordievsky's high rank in the KGB should give his statements considerable weight.