Trinity
The Treachery and Pursuit of the Most Dangerous Spy in History
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Trinity
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Narrated by:
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Anthony Howell
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By:
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Frank Close
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
'Trinity' was the codename for the test explosion of the atomic bomb in New Mexico on 16 July 1945. This exceptional book - Trinity - tells the story of the bomb's metaphorical father, Rudolf Peierls; his intellectual son, the atomic spy Klaus Fuchs; and the ghosts of the security services in Britain, the USA and USSR.
Against the background of pre-war Nazi Germany, the Second World War and the following Cold War, the book traces how Peierls brought Fuchs into his family and his laboratory, only to be betrayed. It describes how Fuchs became a spy, his motivations and the information he passed to his Soviet contacts, both in the UK and after he went with Peierls to join the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos in 1944. Frank Close is himself a distinguished nuclear physicist: uniquely, the book explains the science as well as the spying. Fuchs returned to Britain in August 1946 and became central to the UK's independent effort to develop nuclear weapons. Close describes the febrile atmosphere at Harwell, the nuclear physics laboratory near Oxford, and the charged relationships which developed there and shows how - despite mistakes made by both MI5 and the FBI - the net gradually closed around Fuchs, building an intolerable pressure which finally cracked him.
The Soviet Union exploded its first nuclear device in August 1949, far earlier than the US or UK expected. In 1951, the US Congressional Committee on Atomic Espionage concluded, 'Fuchs alone has influenced the safety of more people and accomplished greater damage than any other spy not only in the history of the United States, but in the history of nations'. This book is the most comprehensive account yet published of these events and of the tragic figure at their centre.
©2019 Frank Close (P)2019 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Trinity
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. M. B. Andrews
- 14-07-21
A moment in history.
I knew of Klaus Fuchs but not he whole story. All the details, insights that are available. I wonder how we ever keep anything secret. Overall well worth the listen.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 06-06-23
Overly long and detailed.
The story is fascinating but, for me, some of the detail was overly long and unecessary. The reader’s performance seemed laboured and flat.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Yasir Noori
- 18-01-20
Detailed spying history with some nuclear physics
The book contains a mixture of the drama related to the story of Fuchs espionage activities and the science which he contributed to or worked on, particularly Nuclear bombs and nuclear reactors. Although I am a Physicist, I have learned several scientific things from the books related to enriching uranium, and the make of the super H-bomb.
I found the book to be a bit too detailed regarding the investigation of Fuchs. It describes in too much details his days and the activities of MI5 personnel between 1949 and 1950. However, it gives a very good impression of how lengthy and tedious such a processes can be, which I may not appreciate from watching similar stories through movies or documentaries.
I personally would have preferred to see more details of the technicalities of making the trinity bomb and the technicalities behind deciphering the messages obtained from the Venona project. That would make the book a bit less focused on the life of Fuchs and more interesting scientifically.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bangor
- 21-03-21
A very interesting listen
Intriguing and mildly scientific. What a period of history! Indeed very interesting and again, makes you want to know more about the other characters. Esp. Peierls
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kendo nagassaki
- 27-05-21
excellent insight into incompetent m.i.5
an excellent read..my main criticism is it's at times sympathetic view of this traitor who betrayed the country who took him in and gave the atom bomb to the most genocidal regime on earth..not enough questions were asked as to why he was allowed in ear shot of eavesdroppers destroy evidence..and allowed to wander free where he could have easily slipped away..like the others..he got off much too lightly ..and another book that points a finger at Roger Hollis
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- mcfontaine
- 09-04-21
Absolutely Brilliant
This book was so obviously well researched. The detail was brilliant, even if the science can be a little confusing at a couple of points. The story is told so well.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ken P
- 16-02-23
A story That Changed Our World
Loved this audio, it took me back to my first hearing Fuch's name on the radio in 1950/51.
I was 6/7 years old a d quite aware of Russia's threat to the west. I also knew that Fuchs passed nuclear secrets to them.
I'm really glad I chose this audio to let me know the real story that I heard on radio all those years ago.
Brilliantly narrated and the pace of the narration never varied.
This is one I will return to. Excellent
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Dan B
- 31-01-22
well-researched history read by a robot.
the writer has clearly dug out every scrap of evidence and stretched it into an over long book which is great too fall asleep to. the reader is dreadful, like a bored robot in constant need of clearing his throat
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