The Man Who Stole the Atomic Bomb - WW2 Documentary Special

[@WorldWarTwo]

Fuchs, Norwood, Holtzberg, their actions will have an enormous impact on the postwar world and the atomic arms race. Who are some other spies who have had a massive impact on history?

[@bismarck8960]

James Bond

[@pnutz_2]

Kim Philby, but you've already covered him

[@rayeisenstein4245]

When are you going to do the story on OPERATION HUSKY which took place during World War Two.

[@TCN8202]

Richard Sorge. You covered him too. Even though Stalin did not believe him. Or maybe all the more because they first disregarded his intel. It seems all the best spies work for the USSR 😆☭

[@Amradar123]

Silk. Without it no Spies & Ties 😊 Emperor Justinian the first used two spies/monks of the nestorian chuch to successfully steal the secret of silk from China (likely from kashgar). It is the first documented case of industrial spionage. It had a significant influence on the Byzantine empire.

[@brokenbridge6316]

Seeing Indy and Astrid hosting together is a delight.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Glad you think so, they make a great duo! Thank you for the kind comment and thanks for watching.

[@brokenbridge6316]

@@WorldWarTwo---Your welcome. I just wish you would answer one of my questions?

[@gunman47]

It’s always great to see Astrid & Indy together in a Spies & Ties episode video. Feels like there is already bits and pieces of the post war world slowly being revealed. Thank you as always World War Two team.

[@WorldWarTwo]

It's always great to see the hosts come together and see their chemistry unfold! Thank you for watching.

[@fredsanford5954]

@@WorldWarTwo It's especially fun to watch the gestures of the one not speaking.

[@stuartmc4422]

These two are clearly having a lot of fun!

[@WorldWarTwo]

It's quite contagious isn't it? Thank you for watching.

[@PuncakeLena]

"I'm Indy Neidel. Hello darlings" Oh I love that twist

[@WorldWarTwo]

Keeps us on our toes, doesn't he?

[@PuncakeLena]

@@WorldWarTwo And that's part of why I love him as presenter of the show

[@noahcount7132]

What a DYNAMIC DUO! 👍 Please team up for more episodes, Astrid and Indy.

[@hackbyte1]

Yes yes yes. Please do this duo team-up more often.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Glad to see you're enjoying the dynamic between Astrid and Indy! They truly make a great pair on screen.

[@Noone-jn3jp]

Indy’s lil rant at the beginning is one of my favorite moments

[@WorldWarTwo]

Seems the editor had quite a bit of fun with that part as well 😃

[@esmenhamaire6398]

Indy playfully mimicking Astrid's mannerisms was hilarious! Excellent episode too!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Glad you enjoyed it so much, thanks for the sweet comment!

[@rosswebster7877]

Thanks for another fantastic Spies and Ties entry Astrid, Indy and Time Ghost Crew! I’ve been looking forward to coverage of all the scandalous doings at Los Alamos! Fun Fact: Among the troubled boys who attended Los Alamos school was later Beat Generation writer and Naked Lunch author William S. Burroughs. Los Alamos is where he acquired his notorious love of firearms.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you for the kind words, and thanks for sharing a piece of history!

[@rickhobson3211]

Isn't "Fuchs" German for "Fox?" And he's in the henhouse. Another great video! Nice to see the both of you working together! And you both like to talk with your hands, I think! Even when the other person is doing the talking! But it's really cute! ^^

[@alexamerling79]

Love the sound effects when Indy was talking about what was happening at Los Alamos lol

[@chrish9698]

Fantastic and informative episode! I hadn’t realized that so many spouses of the Los Alamos scientists were themselves put to work in support rolls, though it does make perfect sense.

[@elbeto191291]

This video is a must-see for everyone who's watched Oppenheimer

[@WillN2Go1]

Good episode. I always wondered if Fuchs used Richard Feynman, who regularly borrowed his car to visit visit his dying wife Arlene in a hospital in Albuquerque, as an unknowing 'postman', 'dead drop'? Feynman would've parked the car outside the hospital during his visits, it would be undisturbed for a few hours.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

I don't know. An unknown third party lurking around Feynman's car might have aroused suspicion. I don't know much about 1940s cars. Could the doors be locked?

[@edwardblair4096]

​@@stevekaczynski3793Even if the car doors can lock, it might have been possible to steal a copy or impression of the key so the agent collecting the data could get in and out of the car quickly and not leave a trace.

[@old-moose]

It sounds more like Swiss cheese than a top secret project.

[@markotrieste]

I wish I could understand my present time like Fuchs did in his. I mean, he conceived and forecast the concept of MAD, while 99.99% of his contemporaries didn't even understand what an atomic bomb was.

[@leonfth]

Absolutely. Dr Fuchs did the right thing, a conscious, honest act from an honest scientist.

[@stc3145]

Gave nukes to a communist regime

[@WorldWarTwo]

He's certainly quite the character and an interesting fellow! Thanks for watching.

[@oldesertguy9616]

@@leonfth I'm sure he thought he was doing the right thing, but he brought us the proliferation of nuclear weapons that nobody knew what to do with. Having the Soviet Union, and especially Stalin, backed in a corner is not a bad thing. Stalin wasn't much better than Hitler, if any better. I don't think giving someone like him a nuclear weapon was a good thing.

[@leonfth]

@@oldesertguy9616 Oh, so you think that having only the west armed with a nuclear arsenal would be the ideal thing because we're the good guys. I think you're naive and in need of serious research .

[@kevinramsey417]

And that's how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb.

[@DominicBHaven-qm6nx]

Total cliffhanger, I guess we'll just have to keep watching 😊

[@annehersey9895]

WoW Indy! Of course we didn't understand anything of what you said but all admire the speed with which you delivered it! Have you ever thought of being in the Pirates Of Penzance? There is a VERY fast ditty in that which could use your delivery! Astrid, always lovely to see you darling!

[@Elitist20]

After Fuchs was freed and went to East Germany, there was a headline: 'Freed Fuchs ducks behind Iron Curtain.' Groucho Marx cut it out and sent it to one of his brothers, writing 'Is this the Arthur Freed we used to know at MGM?' (who they hated).

[@DennisSullivan-om3oo]

Great knowledge, and enthusiasm. She reminds me of Dr. Ruth.

[@UncleJoeLITE]

MED could also mean "Massive Explosive Device"...wonder if that acronym was deliberately ambiguous?

[@mathieu564]

There were other spies in the project some not yet identified. For example, there was speculation that a technician responsible for doing basic checks all over the building was working for the Soviets. A lower level technician but having access to everything. On the Soviet side of things, there is discussion about the actual use of the documentation. Because of the project's importance, the Soviets had to give some independence to the scientists doing the work. But giving them independence was really threatening to the authorities. So, then they could use the spy document as checks that the scientists were not bullshiting them. I heard good things about Beria who was directly doing that supervision.

[@jayfrank1913]

"I heard good things about Beria..." Lol!

[@mathieu564]

@@jayfrank1913 What do you think? The project works out. The Soviets must have thought that excessive repression was not going to be helpful. Otherwise, Beria was an asshole, a sex pervert (allegedly, but reasonable speculation), and a sadist. But to be in the position he was, he must have been especially talented at other managerial aspects of his work. Note that when he was in power for a short time the first thing he did was stop a number of Gulag projects that made no sense except in killing the inmates.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@mathieu564 Beria apparently ordered the release of a large number of Gulag prisoners in 1953 but they were typically ordinary prisoners rather than politicals. His motivations are unclear - they caused chaos in a number of places and perhaps that was the point - he may have been looking for an excuse to crack down. An interesting late Soviet film, "The Cold Summer Of 1953", describes this episode. It is one of a number of mysteries from that year.

[@mathieu564]

@@stevekaczynski3793 Yes, that's true. Beria released the prisoners with short sentences which in practice means ordinary prisoners. They terrorized the Soviet Union and were all sent back by the police, at least in Moscow. On the other hand, political prisoners had at least 10 years. The joke is that someone says in the Gulag that he has done nothing and has a 15-year sentence. The answer is that no he must have done something since it is 10 years for nothing. The release of the political prisoners happened later. One key event that is rarely mentioned is the 40 days of Kenghir when the prisoners resisted during 40 days the Soviet authorities. It showed them that the Gulag format was no longer working. But the Soviet and subsequent Putin would never admit to that. They would say that Kroutschev decided as a goodwill measure to release the prisoners.

[@KeithSeiwell]

Hear any good things about Himmler? Hell, he rose from chicken farmer to head of the SS, so he must have been doing something right. My point is no, there was nothing good about Beria; he was a serial rapist, a serial killer and a sadist. He was cunning, brutal and ruthless. It's a lot easier to get results from people who live or die at your whim; who face torture or slavery at one's pleasure. Its a great working incentive that's for sure. And to think, many of the readership here approve of Fuchs and how he helped these monsters. Because, you know, Beria was smart and a good administrator; he's the perfect guy to have this power in his hands. The story of Fuchs and the others shouldn't be in "Ties and Spies", they should be a part of the War Against Humanity episodes.

[@abepotter9302]

Astrid and Indy remind me of two kindergarten students trying to out-impress the teacher. Hilarious.

[@earlyriser8998]

loved this collaboration

[@LightFykki]

Awesome combo, love you two working together!

[@RivinaR]

So in other words, Fuchs was a true fanatic.

[@timothyhouse1622]

Ruth Werner looks like Frau Farbissina. "PREPARE THE LASER!!"

[@milosbrajkovic9855]

Both of you are second to none! Thanks a lot!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you for watching.

[@welcometonebalia]

Thank you.

[@shaider1982]

I literally Lol'd on Indy's "hello darlings" line. 🤣👍🏻

[@marshalleubanks2454]

Excellent episode.

[@rayeisenstein4245]

Astrid and Indy you are both very knowledgeable about World War Two. Enjoy learning from you both.

[@TheMormonPower]

I hope it is next week, you are definitely one of my favorite presenters on this show. With one glowing major reservation. For whatever reason, there seems to be major gaps of time, many months even, when you simply vanish, coming out with no new material...I begin to get anxious, and worried, as to whether you have befallen a serious illness or accident, especially when Covid was happening. If they can schedule Spartacus for routine appearance every other week, then why not you ??? More Astrid, PLEASE 🙏

[@wilhaart5964]

I'm new here(5-10 videos), but the editor is killing it. I hope he is payed as this quality.

[@wilhaart5964]

Like sure some streams put "timestamps" but here it's vague. So he needs to go whole thing through.

[@andrehernadi5930]

‘Hello darlings’ from Indy sounds more like Darth Sidius than Astrid.

[@maciejkamil]

This is the first time ever Indy and Astrid cohosted an episode and it's great!

[@SmilingIbis]

William S. Burroughs was one of the "troubled boys" from the Los Alamos ranch school.

[@gonshi9]

Marvelous once again

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for the kind comment and thank you for watching!

[@davidstrother496]

Thanks Astrid and Indy. By the way, we just don't see Astrid often enough.

[@jandejongh]

I expected the Khan story; didn't know about this one. Thanks as always!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Glad to hear you learnt something new and thank you for watching!

[@naveenraj2008eee]

Hi Indy and Astrid Nice to see you both in same episode. Lots of information,can't wait for next episode.

[@duanelawrence78]

Indy and Astrid really was something special I really enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing this beautiful gem!!✌️🇺🇲

[@jerseybob4471]

Spies & Ties my favorite. My first job while serving in the US Army was monitoring for above ground atomic bomb tests. Tests only happened every 4 or 5 years. There was a lot of down time. I was on duty and we picked up China’s test bomb test. Quite a rush. A boring night suddenly became a mad house.

[@xxFxDx]

Hey there, I just wanted to inform you that alternative KZbin players like ReVanced do not necessarily show the endcard videos like in KZbin, so linking mentioned videos in the description as well would be greatly appreciated!

[@joezephyr]

Fabulous thank you!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@daveleslie4396]

Please post links to past episodes you mention in this one. Much appreciated.

[@simonmorris4226]

Blimey! Someone mentions Birmingham University and Tube alloys. Midlanders are so used to being airbrushed out!

[@jillatherton4660]

Hello Dahlings, gripping stuff.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you so much and thanks for watching!

[@MisterFastbucks]

You big tease!

[@shawnr771]

Thank you for the interesting lesson.

[@thilomanten8701]

From MED to MAD (Kahn couldn't have formulated it better)

[@hebl47]

It finally happened! Indy said "Hello, darlings" and last week Astrid cried out Excelsior!

[@Titus-as-the-Roman]

Love it "Darlings", I joined the Ghost Army Patreon, I persuade others to do so to keep these brilliant discussions continuation.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Welcome aboard to the TimeGhost Army, great to have you and thanks for watching!

[@stevekaczynski3793]

I was interested to learn that Fuchs spent some time at my old university - Edinburgh.

[@leemichael2154]

Astrid could send me to sleep with any stories at all !soothing demeanor!

[@robertreynolds1044]

Richard Feynman, (a future Nobel winner, but he doesn't know it yet), who was also at Los Alamos, borrowed Mr Fuchs car to visit his dying wife in Albuquerque. My name is Bicycle Bob and I approved this message and Mr Feynman's story is the most interesting ever. Please do a segment about him.

[@frankbarnwell____]

But Richard Feynman was all the entertainment they needed. Highly recommend his recorded lectures and interviews around yt.

[@ludwigvan2932]

Excellent!

[@thomasknobbe4472]

It is a good thing you approach this topic with such a light touch; else those of us of a darker temperament might become excessively concerned about the outcome of this war.

[@Custerd1]

Theodore and Alvin are two of The Chipmunks…

[@DrVictorVasconcelos]

I've been trying to remember the names of these spies as they were cited in other episodes for a while, in case I get somehow inserted into a real life Star Trek time travel episode that gets me back to WW2. I should have guessed there would be an episode about it.

[@stoffls]

Oh I love this double host episodes. Astrid and Indy presenting the topic together is so great. I really hope we see more of those.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you for watching!

[@jamesdoyle5405]

The Indy and Sparticus are good too.

[@zetectic7968]

A serious subject leavened with a dash of humour.

[@pauljenkins4639]

Wooo New Mexico reppin!!!!👏

[@exeterjedi6730]

Last year I went to a talk by Dr Frank Close (himself a physicist), who has a recent book "Trinity: The Treachery and Pursuit of the Most Dangerous Spy in History", which is about Fuchs. Fuchs in the UK would meet his handlers pretty obviously when he took annual leave from his work and went on a trip. The British had been developing the theories on how a bomb would work, and he was leaking. Two dozen British scientists went to Los Alamos. Seems he continued with this in his trips to Santa Fe. It was the British who eventually busted Fuchs in the end when he'd returned to the UK after the war rather than the Americans.

[@davidwright7193]

He was identified from the Verona decrypts. He was dealt with by British intelligence because he was leading the UK atomic bomb project at the time.

[@mcnultyssobercompanion6372]

Astrid's was good but no one tops Anna's "ring that bell". She's a master of her craft.

[@glifencible]

Fuchs lent Richard Feynman his car, so he could see his dying wife Arlene, so there's that...

Lovely engery in this episode :)

[@hannahskipper2764]

Spies and Ties, baby!

[@canaluludorel5838]

It was Perseus! Perseus stole the atomic secrets!

[@dtaylor10chuckufarle]

It's just not the same when Indy calls us "darlings"... no offense, Indy.

[@ANGLORUSSIANCZ]

It's surreal to listen to you guys live at normal speed rather than 1.5....but quality

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for watching!

[@Living_Target]

I'm curious if there was any videos that were made with any thoughts this channel had on the movie.

[@glennpettersson9002]

You had me at hello, darlings.

[@garcalej]

Fuchs!!!!!!

[@DrVictorVasconcelos]

Every single Indy collab is another easter egg 😂 I only wish Indy made easter eggs about his previous KZbin channel, and not the one you're thinking of 😮

[@Gameflyer001]

Max Born is also the grandfather of Olivia Newton-John.

[@quedtion_marks_kirby_modding]

Indy saying hello darlings, lmao.

[@Mzah14]

Indy stole Astrid's line.

[@KarlWitsman]

Another great episode. Thanks!

[@El_Presidente_5337]

I just watched Oppenheimer with a friend again and this is my next video of the World War Teo channel :D

[@DaveE7492]

So how accurate was the film Christopher Nolan film, Oppenheimer?

[@kmac4124]

LOVE Spies and Ties !!!! darlings

[@glockparaastra]

Nicely done you two! 😂

[@arithmetikmilitantpoetry9548]

Damn i should have watched Oppenheimer 😅

[@johnmcguigan7218]

Since October 1941? Roosevelt only signed the order authorizing government support for research into the building of a nuclear weapon on December 6, 1941. Yes, the day before Pearl Harbor

[@Mageroeth]

I truly cannot comprehend anything astrid says. I know im not alone due to view count im sure shes a lovely lady but man her accent is very deep and im from NYC im used to folks with deep accents.

[@Aubury]

A balance of terror regarding the USSR atomic weaponry, does temper ambitions to use it, when sole control of such a weapon may not.

[@samdumaquis2033]

Interesting

[@DominicBHaven-qm6nx]

You just can't trust anybody anymore.

[@lthom5158]

Excellent Spies and Ties episode!

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

It was an informative and wonderful introduction episode about the USSR spying team on the US atomic weapons projects...

[@nickdanger3802]

Operation Unthinkable

[@AristotlesRevolution]

great video as usual

[@casparcoaster1936]

Hard to believe, that Oppey didn't realize Fookie was passing MAD nuke material to the SU & Comintern...

[@oldesertguy9616]

Every time I hear of some of the Soviet atrocities committed, and what a generally horrible person Stalin was, I have to wonder why these people thought the Soviet Union was a worthy cause. Maybe some of the things done to the Eastern European countries wouldn't have happened if the Soviets had been afraid of being bombed, and maybe the arms race wouldn't have got so out of control.

[@Black.Templar_002]

Man I wish the main show had a co host, but I guess it would get too long(even tho I'd like full 30-45 min episodes)

[@Spiderfisch]

Today we find out: What does the Fox say

[@ericfuchs123]

No relation.