they’d had Irving killed for getting in the way. Her plan wasn’t working. “How can you say Collins
might
be useful? He’s a serious threat.”
“What makes you believe that?”
Lena felt her anger build. “Hans, look at the situation. You have me spying for the Germans. Collins has me spying on the Communists. If he finds out, I am finished. Especially now that Hitler has invaded Russia.”
“Lena, do not worry.”
He was trying to soothe her. Badly, she thought. “You seem to forget it is my life at stake.”
“You are doing a wonderful job.”
She took a deep breath. “No. This cannot continue. I want out. That’s why I told you about Collins. It has become too dangerous. I cannot do this anymore.
Genuch ist genuch.”
Hans nodded. “I understand. It will not be long now.”
“What do you mean?”
“We all know that when construction begins, the Manhattan Project will relocate to other places. You will, of course, remain here. The only question is when the move will take place. We will reassess your options at that point.”
“But what about Collins? What are you going to do about him?”
Hans seemed unperturbed. “Nothing. He’s—what do the Americans say? ‘Small potatoes.’”
Lena knew she would go straight to hell for thinking it, but she couldn’t wait for the bomb to be built. At least she would be free.
If she was still alive.
Chapter 29
December, 1942
T he moment everyone at Met Lab had been working toward happened at 3:30 PM on Wednesday, December 2. One of Fermi’s assistants moved the last control rod into place, and at 3:25, the core began to feed on itself. At 3:30, Chicago Pile #1, the mountain of graphite, uranium metal, and uranium oxide, produced the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. The power level was only half a watt, but nobody cared. The reactor worked!
Compton immediately called James Conant, the National Defense Research Committee Chairman, and, speaking in code, said, “the Italian navigator has just landed in the new world.”
“Were the natives friendly?” Conant asked.
“Everyone landed safe and happy.”
* * *
The celebration at a nearby bar was long-lived and raucous, if a group of physicists could be called raucous. No one was happier than Lena. The next phase of the bomb’s development would begin, but her work would end. She couldn’t wait. She was going to quit her job and find something completely different: a position at an insurance company or a manufacturing plant. She’d had enough of science she didn’t understand, as well as the duplicity she understood too well. The money would be a loss, but the chance to regain her self-respect would more than make up for it.
Over the next few days, Met Lab scientists raised the power inside the Pile to two hundred watts to make sure the chain reaction hadn’t been a fluke. That afternoon one of the scientists came out of the Pile with burns on his arms. Lena didn’t say anything, but she knew that radiation, a byproduct of the chain reaction, was dangerous. Three days later, that scientist became ill; by the end of the week he was dead. It was a devastating blow. In a way Lena was glad Irving was no longer with them. He would have died for the Manhattan project, too. In fact, he had.
Chapter 30
A few days later, Lena was filing a top-secret memo to Compton from Groves. In her impatience to photograph it, she almost missed it, but the word “Germany” drew her attention. Groves reported something they’d suspected and now had confirmed. The Germans had given up serious atomic research at least a year earlier. Possibly more. Hitler simply did not have the resources or manpower to experiment. Finances were a huge drain now that the Nazis were fighting a two-front war. Every available
Reichsmark
had been allocated to the
Wehrmacht
.
Lena’s eyes widened. For the past six months she, like everyone else at Met Lab, believed Nazi Germany was an existential threat to America.
might
be useful? He’s a serious threat.”
“What makes you believe that?”
Lena felt her anger build. “Hans, look at the situation. You have me spying for the Germans. Collins has me spying on the Communists. If he finds out, I am finished. Especially now that Hitler has invaded Russia.”
“Lena, do not worry.”
He was trying to soothe her. Badly, she thought. “You seem to forget it is my life at stake.”
“You are doing a wonderful job.”
She took a deep breath. “No. This cannot continue. I want out. That’s why I told you about Collins. It has become too dangerous. I cannot do this anymore.
Genuch ist genuch.”
Hans nodded. “I understand. It will not be long now.”
“What do you mean?”
“We all know that when construction begins, the Manhattan Project will relocate to other places. You will, of course, remain here. The only question is when the move will take place. We will reassess your options at that point.”
“But what about Collins? What are you going to do about him?”
Hans seemed unperturbed. “Nothing. He’s—what do the Americans say? ‘Small potatoes.’”
Lena knew she would go straight to hell for thinking it, but she couldn’t wait for the bomb to be built. At least she would be free.
If she was still alive.
Chapter 29
December, 1942
T he moment everyone at Met Lab had been working toward happened at 3:30 PM on Wednesday, December 2. One of Fermi’s assistants moved the last control rod into place, and at 3:25, the core began to feed on itself. At 3:30, Chicago Pile #1, the mountain of graphite, uranium metal, and uranium oxide, produced the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. The power level was only half a watt, but nobody cared. The reactor worked!
Compton immediately called James Conant, the National Defense Research Committee Chairman, and, speaking in code, said, “the Italian navigator has just landed in the new world.”
“Were the natives friendly?” Conant asked.
“Everyone landed safe and happy.”
* * *
The celebration at a nearby bar was long-lived and raucous, if a group of physicists could be called raucous. No one was happier than Lena. The next phase of the bomb’s development would begin, but her work would end. She couldn’t wait. She was going to quit her job and find something completely different: a position at an insurance company or a manufacturing plant. She’d had enough of science she didn’t understand, as well as the duplicity she understood too well. The money would be a loss, but the chance to regain her self-respect would more than make up for it.
Over the next few days, Met Lab scientists raised the power inside the Pile to two hundred watts to make sure the chain reaction hadn’t been a fluke. That afternoon one of the scientists came out of the Pile with burns on his arms. Lena didn’t say anything, but she knew that radiation, a byproduct of the chain reaction, was dangerous. Three days later, that scientist became ill; by the end of the week he was dead. It was a devastating blow. In a way Lena was glad Irving was no longer with them. He would have died for the Manhattan project, too. In fact, he had.
Chapter 30
A few days later, Lena was filing a top-secret memo to Compton from Groves. In her impatience to photograph it, she almost missed it, but the word “Germany” drew her attention. Groves reported something they’d suspected and now had confirmed. The Germans had given up serious atomic research at least a year earlier. Possibly more. Hitler simply did not have the resources or manpower to experiment. Finances were a huge drain now that the Nazis were fighting a two-front war. Every available
Reichsmark
had been allocated to the
Wehrmacht
.
Lena’s eyes widened. For the past six months she, like everyone else at Met Lab, believed Nazi Germany was an existential threat to America.
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