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Claus FuchsGerman theoretical physicist, Soviet intelligence officer.
Date of Birth: 29.11.1911
Country:  Germany |
Content:
Biography of Klaus Fuchs
Klaus Fuchs, a German theoretical physicist and Soviet spy, was born on November 29, 1911, in Rüsselsheim, Germany, into a Lutheran priest's family. He studied in Leipzig and Kiel, where he joined the German Social Democratic Party in 1930. However, in 1932, he left the party in protest against the National Socialist German Workers' Party and joined the Communist Party. In 1933, after his father was arrested by the Gestapo, Fuchs emigrated to France and later moved to England. There, he continued his studies in nuclear physics. In 1939, Fuchs became a fellow of the Carnegie Foundation in Canada but was interned as a German in the same year. It was only in 1941 that he was allowed to travel to England and began working in a group of nuclear physicists led by Professor Max Born.
Espionage Activities
In October 1941, Fuchs met the secretary of the Soviet military attaché, Semyon Kremmer. Kremmer was in charge of the Russian intelligence network in Great Britain. Fuchs started passing information to the Soviet side, including copies of his scientific research and other documents of interest from the laboratory. When the United States began developing the atomic bomb as part of the Manhattan Project, some of the work was conducted jointly with British allies. Fuchs became a member of a special group of scientists involved in this project. From June 1944, Fuchs began providing Harry Gold, his new contact, with information not only about his own research on the Manhattan Project but also other relevant information in this field. After the Americans dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the activities of British scientists in the United States were discontinued. The British organized a nuclear research center in Harwell, where Fuchs led the theoretical physics department from June 1946. He also served as the chairman of the government society for nuclear energy research.
Capture and Consequences
In 1949, the FBI discovered that one of the scientists working on the Manhattan Project was passing secret information to the Russians. The investigation led to Klaus Fuchs. British counterintelligence began monitoring the scientist, but there was no evidence of Fuchs' guilt. Therefore, they needed to "convince" him, and this task was assigned to William Skardon, who had uncovered many cases of espionage. Skardon arranged a meeting with Fuchs under the pretense of discussing security concerns. During their conversation, Fuchs openly talked about his early years, including his political activities in Germany. He also mentioned the names of people he had met in Canada and England. After nearly a month of friendly conversations, Skardon directly asked Fuchs if he had been passing information to the Russians. Fuchs denied it. The conversations between Skardon and Fuchs lasted for about a month and were conducted in an almost friendly atmosphere. Skardon continued to be amazed by Fuchs' confidence and composure. However, on January 24, 1950, without any preamble, Fuchs stated that he would reveal everything about his seven-year career as a Soviet spy. The information Skardon heard exceeded all his expectations. The most surprising thing was that Fuchs had never once considered the consequences of his actions and only feared being removed from scientific research. He did not realize that he would be arrested. On January 27, 1950, Klaus Fuchs confessed to his espionage activities but refused to provide detailed information about the content of the information he had passed, explaining that only a highly qualified specialist could understand the complex data and formulas. Michael Perrin, the leading expert in the Ministry of Defense's nuclear energy department, was invited to meet with Fuchs on January 30, 1950. For two hours, Fuchs dictated formulas, methodological data, and secret theories that he had passed on to Soviet intelligence. The scale of his betrayal was enormous, and the case attracted the attention of the Attorney General.
Klaus Fuchs was arrested on February 3, 1950, and sentenced to 14 years in prison, the maximum penalty for such cases. He was released from prison five years before his term and went to Leipzig to be with his father. Thanks to Fuchs, the Soviet Union significantly shortened the time it took to develop the atomic bomb. His contributions were recognized, and shortly after his release, Fuchs became the director of the Central Institute for Nuclear Research in Rossendorf. In 1979, he was awarded the Order of Karl Marx, the highest honor in East Germany.
