The creation of the Atomic Bomb was central to the shaping of a post-War world dominated by the Cold War. However, the distinct voices of those who passed secrets to the Russians have never before been heard. Paul Broda's father and his stepfather were two of these. This is his compelling account of them and of his mother, and how their lives were shaped by Communism, Fascism, the War and the creation of the Bomb.
Alan Nunn May trained in Cambridge under both Rutherford and Chadwick. He joined the Atom Project in 1942 and gave secrets to the Russians in 1942 and again in 1945. In 1946 he was convicted for the latter offence and spent seven years in prison.
By the time Engelbert Broda (Berti) came to England from Austria in 1938 he had been imprisoned as a Communist in Berlin and in Austria, twice escaped from arrest and was secretly in Russia. From 1942 he worked on the Atom Project. His wife Hilde had been orphaned and then fostered, and studied medicine. Paul Broda was born in London in 1939, but his parents separated in 1940, and in 1947 Berti returned to Austria. Hilde met Alan after his release and they married in 1953.
In 2009 it became clear from Russian archives that Berti had also spied for the Russians, as MI5 had suspected. Alan and Berti have each been said to have 'started the Cold War'. :
Paul Broda describes the origins of his three parents, what shaped their views, and why Alan and Berti gave secrets to the Russians, for no reward. He combines different sources to create this very personal memoir of his family. Alan wrote accounts of his life until his arrest, including details of his spying, and of his time in prison. These are central to this book. The letters used include Alan's from prison and ones from Berti over 50 years. Also, MI5 released much relevant material in 2006-07.
Paul Broda presents his own view of his parents as principled individuals who believed that they were making the world safer, but invites readers to form their own views.