Boris Pregel
Encyclopedia
Boris Pregel was a dealer in uranium
and radium
. He was born in the Ukraine
but moved to Paris
after the October Revolution
. In 1937 he married Alexandra Avksentiev, daughter of Nikolai Avksentiev
. The couple moved to New York
in 1940, due to the Nazi invasion of France.
From the 1920s to the Second World War Pregel and Edgar Sengier
, a Belgian mining engineer, controlled the world's supply of radium which mainly came from the Belgian Congo
and Canada. Sengier was effectively in charge of the mining company, Union Minière
, in the Congo. Boris Pregel was president of the Canadian Radium & Uranium Corp. of New York.
During World War II, Pregel was the agent for the Canadian Eldorado Mining & Refining Co. which supplied the Manhattan Project
with nearly all the uranium mined in the North America. He also sold 500 pounds of uranium oxide to the Soviet Union during the war although the U.S. Government had authorized the sale.
In March 1945 the Canadian Foreign Exchange Control Board began formal hearings into Pregel's financial dealings. The case was settled out of court but Pregel and the other defendants paid over $1million in cash and other assets to settle. Furthermore Pregel agreed to terminate his agency agreement between Eldorado and the Canadian Radium & Radium Corp.
Pregel founded the Boris Pregel Awards for science, awarded by the New York Academy of Sciences
.
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
and radium
Radium
Radium is a chemical element with atomic number 88, represented by the symbol Ra. Radium is an almost pure-white alkaline earth metal, but it readily oxidizes on exposure to air, becoming black in color. All isotopes of radium are highly radioactive, with the most stable isotope being radium-226,...
. He was born in the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
but moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
after the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
. In 1937 he married Alexandra Avksentiev, daughter of Nikolai Avksentiev
Nikolai Avksentiev
Nikolai Dimitrovich Avksentiev was a leading member of the Russian Socialist-Revolutionary Party . He was one of the 'Heidelberg SRs' , like V.M. Zenzinov...
. The couple moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1940, due to the Nazi invasion of France.
From the 1920s to the Second World War Pregel and Edgar Sengier
Edgar Sengier
Edgar Sengier was the director of the Belgian Union Minière du Haut Katanga during World War II. Sengier is credited with giving the American government access to much of the uranium necessary for the Manhattan Project...
, a Belgian mining engineer, controlled the world's supply of radium which mainly came from the Belgian Congo
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
and Canada. Sengier was effectively in charge of the mining company, Union Minière
Union Minière du Haut Katanga
The Union Minière du Haut Katanga was a Belgian mining company, once operating in Katanga, in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, in the Congo. Boris Pregel was president of the Canadian Radium & Uranium Corp. of New York.
During World War II, Pregel was the agent for the Canadian Eldorado Mining & Refining Co. which supplied the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
with nearly all the uranium mined in the North America. He also sold 500 pounds of uranium oxide to the Soviet Union during the war although the U.S. Government had authorized the sale.
In March 1945 the Canadian Foreign Exchange Control Board began formal hearings into Pregel's financial dealings. The case was settled out of court but Pregel and the other defendants paid over $1million in cash and other assets to settle. Furthermore Pregel agreed to terminate his agency agreement between Eldorado and the Canadian Radium & Radium Corp.
Pregel founded the Boris Pregel Awards for science, awarded by the New York Academy of Sciences
New York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
.