Alsos (History of Modern Physics & Astronomy) [Paperback]

Samuel A. Goudsmit (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1563964155 | ISBN-13: 978-1563964152 | Publication Date: March 7, 1996 | Edition: 1

Alsos was a scientific intelligence mission launched by the Allies in the autumn of 1943 to determine the progress of German research on the atom bomb. With the suspense of a thriller, Goudsmit recounts the circumstances leading up to the mission, the methods its participants used to do their scientific sleuthing, and the reaction of the German scientists on the day the atom bomb fell on Hiroshima. With a new introduction by David Cassidy About the Author: Samuel Goudsmit was born in The Netherlands and in 1925 he and fellow student George Uhlenbeck discovered electron spin. In 1927 he emigrated to the U.S., working at the University of Michigan and later at MIT until being detailed to the War Department to participate in the Alsos Mission. He served as a senior scientist at Brookhaven National Laboratory from 1954 to 1970 and was the founder of Physical Review Letters.

Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: American Institute of Physics; 1 edition (March 7, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563964155
• ISBN-13: 978-1563964152
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,340,707 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating piece of WWII history, September 13, 2006

By 

Gregory Montez (Fresno, California United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alsos (History of Modern Physics & Astronomy) (Paperback)

I am in no way disappointed with Dr. Goudsmit's account of the Alsos project, especially after reading the truly tedious account written by Boris Pash. For those who do not know the story, Dr. Goudsmit was the foremost nuclear physicist that was not attached to one of the three Manhattan Project labs. He was sent into Nazi Germany with what amounted to a small special forces team to seek out the German atomic bomb project and to achieve three goals - report on the progress of the German scientists, bring as many of their physicists and their materials into Allied hands as possible, and discourage the remainder from going over to the Soviets. There is a mix of humor (radioactive wine!) and deep tragedy (Dr. Goudsmit's parent's house) that make for enthralling reading. This book, along with "Assault in Norway" and "The Farm Hall Reports" give a first hand account of the threat of atomic energy had it been achieved by the Nazis. Highly recommended.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ALSOS, May 31, 2007

By 

Norman Bauman - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alsos (History of Modern Physics & Astronomy) (Paperback)

I heard Goudsmit speak on this (and read the book - library copy) when I was at Brookhaven in the 1950's. I found it an interesting tale. ALSOS was the code name of the scientific mission that Goudsmit led to see how far the Nazi scientists had gotten on the atom bomb (without tipping our hand on how far the Americans had gotten!) Goudsmit was able to sift through German scientists because he knew personally every physicist in Germany capable of making an atom bomb.

By the way, the subtitle (History of Modern Physics and Astronomy, Vol 1) is erronious, the book is the same ALSOS I read in the 50's and has no such subtitle.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A unique view of the intelligence analysis process, November 21, 2007

By 

Eugene N. Miya (Moffett Field, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alsos (History of Modern Physics & Astronomy) (Paperback)

I purchased this book as a supplemental reference to other reading (The Farmhall Transcripts, Stan Ulam's Memoir, Larry Badash's reading list) and had already read Goudsmit's before this purchase.

Basically, the current value of this book is how intelligence officers not schooled in nuclear weapons learn about why some of this technology is not easily found in a garage (unlike portions of the computer industry). The writing style is 1st person and fun, and not intended to be any sort of historic analysis. Some people might find running around France looking for radioactive wine a waste, but some people can't take a joke. The book humanizes Boris Pash more than other books.

The book is only intended as a account, not the final word. The latter editions of this book may include photographs, diagrams, and other media not found in earlier editions and can resolve some of the thinking about German atomic piles which the text alone can't convey. It's not a book for every one, it's very context sensitive and other historic reading could put some of this into context (usually Richard Rhoades Atomic Bomb history or equivalent {R. Jungk would work}).

Enjoy yourself.