Reporter Yuri Medvedev: Academician Hareton 1993 said that the Soviet atomic bomb was copied from the materials of the American atomic bomb obtained by the intelligence department. Is that so?
Ye Velikhov: Yes, we got the relevant materials provided by the intelligence department. However, having secrets is one thing, and being good at using them is another. Before the outbreak of World War II, China's scientific, technological and industrial strength had already possessed the ability to develop atomic bombs. In 1930s, research institutions in Moscow, Leningrad and Kharkov completed some universally recognized nuclear physics experiments.
At that time, some scientists in the Soviet Union had realized the military significance of uranium. Regrettably, the war interrupted the scientific research work of Soviet scientists in nuclear physics.
Yuri Medvedev: Now we know that Stalin has long believed that the information about the American atomic bomb obtained by the intelligence department is false. Probably, this is influenced by beria. 1942, it was no accident that Kaftanov and Joseph, leaders of the Science and Technology Department of the National Defense Commission, crossed beria and directly reported to Stalin about the development of atomic bombs by Americans.
Ye Velikhov: beria's position has been hesitant. Later, he submitted a report to Stalin based on three sources: a letter from the young scholar Frye Giorloff to the leader, information provided by the intelligence department and the diary of a German officer who was shot dead, all of which involved a chain reaction. After that, Stalin made a decision to resume nuclear research, but strangely, Molotov was appointed as the leader in charge of this work, but he was not suitable for this work. Stalin always doubted the truth of the data and thought that scientists were busy for nothing, but just in case, he gave them a chance to experiment.
At the beginning of 1943, the famous second laboratory was born, and then the Kuchatov Institute named igori vasilievich kurchatov (a famous physicist, organizer and leader of Soviet nuclear science and technology) was established. By the middle of 1943, about 100 people were working in the laboratory.
It should be said that the prospect of studying atomic bombs in the Soviet Union at that time was very slim. One of the reasons is that the country lacks enough uranium mines. Nuclear reactor testing alone requires at least 40 tons of uranium. The main problem has not been solved: how to separate light isotopes from natural uranium. Prior to this, the intelligence department informed kurchatov that Americans used the "gas diffusion method", but this method was expensive.
In view of the above reasons, Americans once predicted that even in the best case, the Soviet Union could not build an atomic bomb before 1952.
Yuri Medvedev: When did things change?
Ye Velikhov: In the middle of 1943, several important news provided by the intelligence department changed the situation. The first news is that plutonium can also be used to make atomic bombs without uranium -235; The second news is that plutonium can be directly extracted from natural uranium in the reactor; The third news is that not only heavy water but also graphite can be used as neutron moderator. Kurchatov's situation can be imagined: only he knew that the research direction should be fundamentally changed, and because there was no one to discuss, he made his own decision.
Yuri Medvedev: kurchatov has no other plans. Otherwise, it will take China at least 65,438+00 years to develop an atomic bomb. ...
Ye Velikhov: It seems so now. At that time, nobody in China knew what plutonium was. Everything has to start from scratch: producing high-purity graphite and uranium for reactors; Studying the process of extracting plutonium from reaction products ... in short, this is a brand-new task.
At that time, work was difficult. Kurchatov turned to the government for help more than once, but every time it was fruitless. He knows very well that the United States has 200,000 people engaged in this project, while the Soviet Union has only 100 people! 1944, kurchatov put beria in charge of nuclear research instead of Molotov, but until the middle of 1945, everything remained the same.
Yuri Medvedev: That is to say, before the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, China made little progress in nuclear research?
Ye Velikhov: Yes. For Stalin, the atomic bombing of Japan by the United States was completely unexpected. A few days later, a special committee was set up to develop nuclear weapons, with beria as the chairman. Stalin set a time limit of five years, during which he thought that the United States would not launch a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union for the time being.
Kapicha, a member of the Special Committee, has a rather strange position. At the first meeting, he listened to kurchatov's detailed plan-the three stages of developing nuclear weapons, but three months later, he said in his report to Stalin: "... we don't know the secret of the atomic bomb. At present, the information obtained can not develop an atomic bomb. There is no doubt that the information provided to us is to lead us astray. "
Yuri Medvedev: It seems that kurchatov got another important message from the intelligence department: how to detonate a bomb with plutonium. ...
Ye Velikhov: Yes, it's beyond his expectation. Kurchatov believes that uranium-235 can also be handled by "gun". Americans find this method unworkable. Therefore, they invented the so-called "implosion method": explosive devices were placed around a sphere full of plutonium, and then detonated at 32 different points at the same time, with minimal error. Great pressure makes the sphere reach the critical point and then explode quickly.
Yuri Medvedev: After the establishment of the Special Committee, the nuclear research work in the Soviet Union was carried out at an unprecedented scale and speed. Many secret military camps, factories and mines have been built. Its scale surprised me.
Ye Velikhov: On the one hand, you are right: people have to face many difficulties because a lot of money has been invested in nuclear weapons research. On the other hand, the Soviet Union established a strong mobilization economy to cope with the war, and the scientific research centers and industries were all oriented to the war. When kurchatov needed to build a reactor, he quickly found an expert in this field-Dolezar. It was Dollezhal who proposed a reactor design scheme different from that of Americans: placing uranium rods vertically instead of horizontally, which was more powerful. This method is still used all over the world. The reactor needs special metal parts, assisted by the scientific research system led by melnikov; Plutonium needs to be separated, which is the responsibility of the research center led by Vernadsky and Khlopin; The required uranium and plutonium shall be borne by Bochvar Institute. All these academic authorities worked hard and produced the first atomic bomb in just four years.
Yuri Medvedev: Is there enough uranium?
Ye Velikhov: It was not a domestic uranium mine at first. We are very lucky: Hareton and Kikoin discovered 65,438+000 tons of uranium in Germany. This has played an important role in the 1946 physical reactor test. The uranium used in the first atomic bomb was obtained from Germany, Czech Republic and China.
Yuri Medvedev; 1949 on August 29th, China's first atomic bomb was tested. It is said that, just in case, beria has prepared a list of people who will be executed if the launch fails. Later, these people who might have been executed were awarded the Medal of Heroes, and some even won the Medal of Lenin.
Ye Velikhov: I don't rule out this possibility, but I don't know the specific situation.
Yuri Medvedev: Is this crazy arms race necessary? In the process of building a secret military camp, many prisoners and soldiers were killed, and some people suffered great pain.
Ye Velikhov: This is a complicated problem. The development of the atomic bomb paid a huge price of casualties, but I also read in the memoirs of people directly involved in this work: these years are the best years of their lives, and an extraordinary passion connects them. One letter also said that China's first atomic bomb was as unforgettable as his first love.
The special background of that era should be taken into account. The use of atomic bombs by Americans in Japan sounded the alarm for the Soviet Union: this means that we may be attacked tomorrow, even though the Soviet Union won the war. But for many people, the development of the atomic bomb is a continuation of the war. No one knows where he will be sent and what the radiation is, and no one can refuse.
Yuri Medvedev: Do people really think that Americans will throw atomic bombs at their nearest allies?
Ye Velikhov: Many academicians are sure of this.