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Alan Nunn May

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447:, by Clare George, a fictional account of Cambridge physicists in the 1930s which centres on the scientific excitement of the interwar years contrasted with the vexing moral questions faced by scientists during World War II. The main character is a fictional physicist and pacifist who studied and worked at Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory with May before the war. George's acknowledged inspiration for the story was her grandfather, a real-life physicist whose true story follows several of the particulars of her character, Walter Dunnachie. 33: 375:
in September 1945, around the time that May's Canadian assignment ended. Gouzenko passed along copies of GRU documents implicating May, including details of the proposed meeting in London. May did not go to the British Museum meeting, but he was arrested in March 1946 and confessed to espionage. On 1
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May refused to define his actions as treason and claimed in a statement after his release from prison that he believed that he had "acted rightly" as a spy because of being "wholeheartedly concerned with securing victory over Nazi Germany and Japan, and the furtherance of the development of the
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A 2002 statement, released after his death, confessed to his spying activities and detailed how he got embroiled with the Soviet Union, though his reasoning for passing along nuclear secrets was simply that he felt the Soviets "ought to be informed". It was passed to
347:. The courier of the samples was not informed of the danger of radiation, developed painful lesions and needed regular blood transfusions for the rest of his life. May also borrowed library research documents on nuclear power, many from the US, for copying. The 1712: 1632: 1692: 327:
He had let his membership of the Communist Party lapse by 1940, but at Cambridge, when he saw an American report mentioning that Germany might be able to build a
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and at least C$ 700. May said that he accepted the money under protest and promptly burnt it. Angelov gave him details for a rendezvous with the GRU next to the
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May's arrest and sentence in 1946 first showed publicly that the Soviet Union had obtained atomic secrets by espionage. His clearance by
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Blacklisted from universities in Britain, May worked for a scientific instruments company and in 1961 he went to work at the
779:"Alan Nunn May – Nuclear scientist who served six years for passing atomic secrets to the Russians in the Second World War" 1657: 188: 376:
May 1946, he was sentenced to ten years' hard labour. He was released in late 1952, after serving six-and-a-half years.
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He returned to Cambridge in 1978 and died there in a hospital on 12 January 2003. Cause of death was
319:. May's Canadian position ended in September 1945, and he returned to his lecturing post in London. 1125: 1095: 331:, he passed that on to a Soviet contact. In Canada, he was approached by Lieutenant Angelov of the 304: 208: 91: 192: 86: 1479: 1411: 1236: 1150: 1090: 611: 204: 790: 151:) (2 May 1911 – 12 January 2003) was a British physicist and a confessed and convicted Soviet 1474: 1185: 803: 336: 1672: 1667: 1290: 1012: 277: 237: 8: 1195: 1145: 1115: 1085: 1007: 972: 388: 384: 300: 1566: 1318: 1135: 1067: 1037: 882: 872: 743: 647: 461: 332: 268:
on a project that attempted to use photographic methods to detect fast particles from
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People associated with the nuclear weapons programme of the United Kingdom
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May was the youngest of four children of Walter Frederick Nunn May, a
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newspaper in 2003 and had been dictated to a relative in late 2002.
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later investigated and states that he was paid with two bottles of
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British people convicted of spying for the Soviet Union
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was also at Trinity Hall during an overlapping period.
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People educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham
774:Files at National Archives, London (released 2007) 432:also led to American distrust of Britain, and the 399:In 1953, May married Hilde Broda, the ex-wife of 1619: 791:Central Criminal Court depositions – CRIM 1/1774 291:directorate that was merged into the American 811: 825: 16:British physicist and Soviet spy (1911–2003) 1688:Nuclear weapons program of the Soviet Union 443:May is a major character in the 2003 novel 170: 818: 804: 394: 31: 362: 1683:Communist Party of Great Britain members 122:10 years of hard labour (served 6 years) 1628:World War II spies for the Soviet Union 687: 564:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 514:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 219: 1620: 500:May's first name is sometimes spelled 799: 489: 477:Soviet espionage in the United States 295:, the successful effort to create a 155:who supplied secrets of British and 688:Vasagar, Jeevan (27 January 2003). 643:"Atom Spy to Be Professor in Ghana" 552: 540: 322: 287:. The team was part of the British 228:in the 1930s and was active in the 13: 1703:Academics of King's College London 1638:British spies for the Soviet Union 713: 303:, which was building a reactor at 14: 1729: 1698:Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge 767: 387:, where he conducted research in 380:peaceful uses of atomic energy." 230:Association of Scientific Workers 576:Atomic: The First War of Physics 226:Communist Party of Great Britain 189:King Edward's School, Birmingham 102:Communist Party of Great Britain 746:(1980, Hamish Hamilton London) 359:, in London, after his return. 243: 681: 655: 635: 604: 588: 568: 391:and created a science museum. 367:A GRU cipher clerk in Canada, 191:. As a scholarship student at 1: 533: 1718:British expatriates in Ghana 1562:Vladimir Mikhaylovich Petrov 7: 690:"Spy's Deathbed Confession" 450: 280:team working on a possible 10: 1734: 1658:British nuclear physicists 988:Julius and Ethel Rosenberg 612:"Alan Nunn May (Obituary)" 560:May, Alan Nunn (1911–2003) 549:. Encyclopaedia Britannica 472:Soviet atomic bomb project 371:, defected to the West in 252:, May initially worked on 1537:Alexander Gregory Barmine 1527: 1488: 1439: 1342: 1304: 1266: 1256: 1209: 1066: 840: 831: 423: 349:Canadian Royal Commission 214: 199:in physics, which led to 134: 126: 118: 108: 97: 82: 59: 39: 30: 23: 1708:People from Kings Norton 1678:Manhattan Project people 1663:Semiconductor physicists 1096:Thomas Patrick Cavanaugh 826:Soviet and Russian spies 631:(Subscription required.) 482: 171:Early life and education 1648:Experimental physicists 520:Encyclopædia Britannica 410:and pulmonary disease. 395:Personal life and death 193:Trinity Hall, Cambridge 159:atomic research to the 87:Trinity Hall, Cambridge 1412:John Alexander Symonds 1237:Harold James Nicholson 1091:Christopher John Boyce 730:The Meaning of Treason 578:, p. 379, Icon Books. 363:Convicted of espionage 46:Bedruthan, Park Hill, 1653:British metallurgists 1475:Stephen Joseph Ratkai 337:military intelligence 209:King's College London 92:King's College London 1013:Nadezhda Ulanovskaya 278:Cambridge University 238:Donald Duart Maclean 220:Early communist ties 1196:John Anthony Walker 1146:Clayton J. Lonetree 1086:David Sheldon Boone 1008:Alexander Ulanovsky 973:William Ward Pigman 740:The Atom Bomb Spies 601:. 30 December 1952. 574:Baggot, Jim (2009) 389:solid-state physics 385:University of Ghana 301:Montreal Laboratory 276:recruited him to a 207:and lectureship at 1643:English physicists 1567:Fyodor Raskolnikov 1402:Michael John Smith 1136:Andrew Daulton Lee 1126:Robert Lee Johnson 1038:Harry Dexter White 873:Whittaker Chambers 744:H. Montgomery Hyde 667:The New York Times 651:. 3 February 1962. 648:The New York Times 599:The New York Times 462:Cold War espionage 187:, and educated at 1615: 1614: 1435: 1434: 1306:Portland spy ring 1252: 1251: 1121:Edward Lee Howard 858:Elizabeth Bentley 787:, 24 January 2003 669:. 25 January 2003 620:. 24 January 2003 584:978-1-84831-082-7 558:Cathcart, Brian. 467:Nuclear espionage 445:The Cloud Chamber 293:Manhattan Project 270:radioactive decay 142: 141: 1725: 1607:Stig Wennerström 1552:Walter Krivitsky 1417:Edith Tudor-Hart 1347:Michael Bettaney 1264: 1263: 1243:Illegals Program 1191:George Trofimoff 1161:Earl Edwin Pitts 938:William Malisoff 913:David Greenglass 841:1940s and before 838: 837: 820: 813: 806: 797: 796: 707: 706: 704: 702: 685: 679: 678: 676: 674: 659: 653: 652: 639: 633: 632: 629: 627: 625: 608: 602: 592: 586: 572: 566: 556: 550: 544: 511:s, but both the 501: 496: 323:Soviet espionage 236:spy ring member 195:, he achieved a 119:Criminal penalty 109:Criminal 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Retrieved 695:The Guardian 693: 683: 671:. Retrieved 666: 657: 646: 637: 622:. Retrieved 615: 606: 598: 590: 575: 570: 554: 542: 524: 518: 512: 506: 504: 498: 497: 493: 492: 457:Atomic spies 444: 442: 427: 417:The Guardian 415: 412: 405: 398: 382: 378: 366: 326: 262:Cecil Powell 250:World War II 247: 244:World War II 223: 177:brassfounder 174: 165:World War II 161:Soviet Union 148: 144: 143: 65:(2003-01-12) 18: 1673:2003 deaths 1668:1911 births 1587:Herman Simm 1572:Alfred Redl 1528:Elsewhere / 1427:Arthur Wynn 1367:Klaus Fuchs 1357:David Crook 1281:Guy Burgess 1210:Post-Soviet 1101:Jack Dunlap 1076:Rudolf Abel 1048:Nathan Witt 1023:Harold Ware 998:Saville Sax 928:Donald Hiss 898:Klaus Fuchs 868:Boris Bukov 507:, with two 438:Klaus Fuchs 434:McMahon Act 341:uranium-233 305:Chalk River 289:Tube Alloys 282:heavy water 147:(sometimes 130:Hilde Broda 1622:Categories 1314:Lona Cohen 1296:Kim Philby 1171:Myra Soble 1166:Jack Soble 908:Harry Gold 893:Noel Field 878:Lona Cohen 761:Paul Broda 624:3 February 534:References 329:dirty bomb 185:Birmingham 52:Birmingham 43:2 May 1911 1480:Fred Rose 1387:John Peet 1324:Ethel Gee 968:J. Peters 853:Joel Barr 833:In the US 784:The Times 617:The Times 408:pneumonia 113:Espionage 83:Education 77:, England 71:Cambridge 54:, England 1450:Sam Carr 1068:Cold War 848:John Abt 517:and the 451:See also 335:(Soviet 201:doctoral 157:American 135:Children 1257:In the 701:10 July 353:whiskey 313:Ontario 307:, near 285:reactor 266:Bristol 258:Suffolk 248:During 181:Moseley 163:during 48:Moseley 1442:Canada 763:(2011) 750:  726:(1952) 673:7 July 582:  424:Legacy 373:Ottawa 317:Canada 309:Ottawa 232:. The 215:Career 127:Spouse 104:(CPGB) 1491:Japan 505:Allan 483:Notes 254:radar 197:first 149:Allan 138:1 son 748:ISBN 703:2011 675:2008 626:2018 580:ISBN 525:Alan 523:use 343:and 60:Died 40:Born 1489:In 1440:In 759:by 742:by 732:by 722:by 430:MI5 345:235 333:GRU 264:in 256:in 153:spy 1624:: 1259:UK 781:, 692:. 665:. 645:. 614:. 597:. 562:. 527:. 315:, 311:, 272:. 211:. 183:, 167:. 73:, 50:, 819:e 812:t 805:v 705:. 677:. 628:. 509:l 491:' 89:,

Index


Moseley
Birmingham
Cambridge
Cambridgeshire
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
King's College London
Communist Party of Great Britain
Espionage
spy
American
Soviet Union
World War II
brassfounder
Moseley
Birmingham
King Edward's School, Birmingham
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
first
doctoral
Charles Ellis
King's College London
Communist Party of Great Britain
Association of Scientific Workers
Cambridge Five
Donald Duart Maclean
World War II
radar
Suffolk
Cecil Powell

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