Alsos Mission

[The Atomic Heritage Foundation is grateful to the Augustine family for donating this interview for publication.] Dolores Augustine: Today is January 1st, 2007, and behind the camera is Dr. Dolores Augustine of St. John’s University, New York. I am interviewing Mr. Reginald C. Augustine about the Alsos Mission. So, go ahead. You can start talking […]

Cindy Kelly: I am Cindy Kelly with the Atomic Heritage Foundation and it is Monday, May 14, 2018. I’m in Palo Alto with David Holloway. My first question for him is to please say his name and spell it. David Holloway: David Holloway, D-A-V-I-D H-O-L-L-O-W-A-Y. Kelly: Perfect. I would like to start with your telling […]

Cindy Kelly: I’m Cindy Kelly. It is February 1st, 2018. I’m in New York City, and I have with me Michael Joseloff. My first question to him is, please say and spell your name. Michael Joseloff: Michael Joseloff, M-i-c-h-a-e-l, Joseloff, J-o-s-e-l-o-f-f. Kelly: Great. Thank you. Well, you’re here today because you’ve written a wonderful book that […]

Richard Rhodes: Interview with Dr. Kistiakowsky in Cambridge, Massachusetts, January 15, 1982. I have done a great deal of reading into the literature; there are probably two hundred books that are built around the subject that I’ve looked at, including yours, which I enjoyed. Can I go back to some very early things?  George Kistiakowsky: […]

Cindy Kelly: We are with Richard Rhodes at Atomic Heritage Foundation’s studio in Washington, D.C. Can you start by telling us your name? Richard Rhodes: I’m Richard Rhodes. Kelly: Can you spell that, please? Rhodes: Yes, R-H-O-D-E-S. Kelly: And Richard spelled the usual way? Rhodes: Yes. Kelly: We are trying to gather various pieces of […]

Robert Furman: Robert Furman. F-U-R-M-A-N. I was an assistant to General Groves in the Manhattan District, in his Twenty-First Street offices here in Northwest. And I joined him in late autumn of ‘43 and left him right after the war—right after the end of the war. Cindy Kelly: Can we—just to—no one’s going to hear […]

A little-known operation of the Manhattan Engineering District took place behind enemy lines in occupied Europe. Code-named the “Alsos” Mission, these intelligence-gathering operations moved with the advancing Allies to learn firsthand how close Germany was to developing its own atomic weapon. Under the command of General Leslie Groves, these operations succeeded in capturing most of […]