Friday, 2 March 2018 — 12:00 noon — WAG 316
John Lisle (UT)
“The Alsos Mission: Scientific Intelligence and War”
As the United States raced to create its first atomic bombs during World War II, many feared that Germany was undertaking similar efforts. The United States decided to find out how advanced the German atomic program was by sending a secret contingent abroad. The Alsos Mission scoured Europe looking for German physicists, uranium, and atomic experiments. This talk describes the Alsos Mission, its discoveries, and the key to its unparalleled success in the field of scientific intelligence.
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John Lisle is a graduate student in the UT History Department. He is currently conducting research for his dissertation, which focuses on the history of America’s science attaché program.