Dayton Project
Encyclopedia
The Dayton Project was one of several sites involved in the Manhattan Project
to build the first atomic bombs. Charles Allen Thomas
, an executive of the Monsanto Company corporation, was assigned to develop the neutron
generating devices that triggered the nuclear detonation of the atomic bombs once the critical mass had been "assembled" by the force of conventional explosives.
Thomas established the project in the Runnymede Playhouse on the grounds of the Talbott
family estate in a wealthy residential section of Oakwood
, a suburb of Dayton, Ohio
. The Playhouse was a leisure facility that included a ballroom, indoor squash and tennis courts as well as a stage for community theater. It was located at the intersection of Runnymede Road and Dixon Avenue. The Talbotts were among the heirs of the Delco
(by then a part of General Motors
) fortune. Before the war, Thomas worked as a chemist for Delco
/GM
and was married to Margaret Talbott. He promised his mother-in-law that he would return the building to the family intact after the war. He was unable to keep his promise because the building had become contaminated with radioactivity. The facility (also known as Dayton Unit IV) was in use for nuclear work until 1949 when Mound Laboratories
was opened in Miamisburg, Ohio
. The Playhouse was dismantled in 1950 and later buried in Tennessee
.
The neutron generator
used on the implosion design
(such as the Fat Man
bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki) was coded named "Urchin
". It was composed of alternating layers of polonium-210 (Po-210) and beryllium
separated by gold
foil. The initiator, located in the center of the bomb, was carefully designed to ensure that during the implosion of the bomb core, the polonium
and beryllium
mixed. Once the elements mixed, alpha particles emitted by the polonium
were absorbed by the beryllium
causing it to emit neutrons. The precise timing of the neutron
pulse was necessary to avoid pre-detonation of the bomb which would have resulted in a "fizzle" rather than the desired blast. In modern nuclear weapons a pulsed neutron emitting tube
has replaced polonium
/beryllium
initiators, as polonium-210 has a relatively short half-life and thus would need to be replaced every few months.
posthumously awarded Zhorzh Abramovich “George” Koval a gold star making him a hero of the Russian Federation
for his work as the GRU
spy “Delmar”. Russian officials stated that the initiator for their Joe-1 bomb had been “prepared to the recipe provided by Delmar”.
Koval was a US citizen born in Sioux City, Iowa
in 1913 to parents of Belorussian origin. In 1932 his family returned to the Soviet Union
. In 1939 he was drafted into the Soviet Army
, joining the GRU intelligence service. Koval returned to the US in 1940 and was drafted into the US Army in 1943. He was inducted into the Special Engineering Detachment
of the Manhattan project. Koval was initially assigned to Oak Ridge
where his job as a health physics
officer gave him access to much of the plant. He began passing secrets relating to the production of polonium at Oak Ridge to his GRU handler code named “Clyde”. In 1945 Koval was transferred to Dayton. Again his job as a health physics officer gave him wide access to the secret installation.
In 1946 he left the Army. Koval returned to the Soviet Union via Europe in 1948. In 1949 the Soviets detonated their first atomic bomb. The FBI did not begin to suspect Koval until the mid 1950’s, long after he had left the US. In 2002 Vladimir Lota published “The GRU and the Atom Bomb” explaining Delmar’s role. Koval died in 2006.
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...
to build the first atomic bombs. Charles Allen Thomas
Charles Allen Thomas
Charles Allen Thomas was a noted American chemist and businessman, and an important figure in the Manhattan Project....
, an executive of the Monsanto Company corporation, was assigned to develop the neutron
Neutron
The neutron is a subatomic hadron particle which has the symbol or , no net electric charge and a mass slightly larger than that of a proton. With the exception of hydrogen, nuclei of atoms consist of protons and neutrons, which are therefore collectively referred to as nucleons. The number of...
generating devices that triggered the nuclear detonation of the atomic bombs once the critical mass had been "assembled" by the force of conventional explosives.
Thomas established the project in the Runnymede Playhouse on the grounds of the Talbott
Harold E. Talbott
Harold Elstner Talbott, Jr. was the third United States Secretary of the Air Force.-Biography:He was born in Dayton, Ohio, in March 1888 and died in 1957...
family estate in a wealthy residential section of Oakwood
Oakwood, Montgomery County, Ohio
Oakwood is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. The population was 9,202 at the 2010 census. Oakwood is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was incorporated in 1908...
, a suburb of Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. The Playhouse was a leisure facility that included a ballroom, indoor squash and tennis courts as well as a stage for community theater. It was located at the intersection of Runnymede Road and Dixon Avenue. The Talbotts were among the heirs of the Delco
Delco
Delco may refer to:* Delaware County, Ohio* Delaware County, Pennsylvania* Delco, North Carolina* Delco Electronics...
(by then a part of General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
) fortune. Before the war, Thomas worked as a chemist for Delco
Delco
Delco may refer to:* Delaware County, Ohio* Delaware County, Pennsylvania* Delco, North Carolina* Delco Electronics...
/GM
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
and was married to Margaret Talbott. He promised his mother-in-law that he would return the building to the family intact after the war. He was unable to keep his promise because the building had become contaminated with radioactivity. The facility (also known as Dayton Unit IV) was in use for nuclear work until 1949 when Mound Laboratories
Mound Laboratories
Mound Laboratories in Miamisburg, Ohio was an Atomic Energy Commission facility for Nuclear weapon research during the Cold War....
was opened in Miamisburg, Ohio
Miamisburg, Ohio
Miamisburg is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. The population was 20,181 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. The Playhouse was dismantled in 1950 and later buried in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
The neutron generator
Neutron generator
Neutron generators are neutron source devices which contain compact linear accelerators and that produce neutrons by fusing isotopes of hydrogen together. The fusion reactions take place in these devices by accelerating either deuterium, tritium, or a mixture of these two isotopes into a metal...
used on the implosion design
Nuclear weapon design
Nuclear weapon designs are physical, chemical, and engineering arrangements that cause the physics package of a nuclear weapon to detonate. There are three basic design types...
(such as the Fat Man
Fat Man
"Fat Man" is the codename for the atomic bomb that was detonated over Nagasaki, Japan, by the United States on August 9, 1945. It was the second of the only two nuclear weapons to be used in warfare to date , and its detonation caused the third man-made nuclear explosion. The name also refers more...
bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki) was coded named "Urchin
Urchin (detonator)
A modulated neutron initiator is a neutron source capable of producing a burst of neutrons on activation. It is a crucial part of some nuclear weapons, as its role is to "kick-start" the chain reaction at the optimal moment when the configuration is prompt critical. It is also known as an internal...
". It was composed of alternating layers of polonium-210 (Po-210) and beryllium
Beryllium
Beryllium is the chemical element with the symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a divalent element which occurs naturally only in combination with other elements in minerals. Notable gemstones which contain beryllium include beryl and chrysoberyl...
separated by gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
foil. The initiator, located in the center of the bomb, was carefully designed to ensure that during the implosion of the bomb core, the polonium
Polonium
Polonium is a chemical element with the symbol Po and atomic number 84, discovered in 1898 by Marie Skłodowska-Curie and Pierre Curie. A rare and highly radioactive element, polonium is chemically similar to bismuth and tellurium, and it occurs in uranium ores. Polonium has been studied for...
and beryllium
Beryllium
Beryllium is the chemical element with the symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a divalent element which occurs naturally only in combination with other elements in minerals. Notable gemstones which contain beryllium include beryl and chrysoberyl...
mixed. Once the elements mixed, alpha particles emitted by the polonium
Polonium
Polonium is a chemical element with the symbol Po and atomic number 84, discovered in 1898 by Marie Skłodowska-Curie and Pierre Curie. A rare and highly radioactive element, polonium is chemically similar to bismuth and tellurium, and it occurs in uranium ores. Polonium has been studied for...
were absorbed by the beryllium
Beryllium
Beryllium is the chemical element with the symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a divalent element which occurs naturally only in combination with other elements in minerals. Notable gemstones which contain beryllium include beryl and chrysoberyl...
causing it to emit neutrons. The precise timing of the neutron
Neutron
The neutron is a subatomic hadron particle which has the symbol or , no net electric charge and a mass slightly larger than that of a proton. With the exception of hydrogen, nuclei of atoms consist of protons and neutrons, which are therefore collectively referred to as nucleons. The number of...
pulse was necessary to avoid pre-detonation of the bomb which would have resulted in a "fizzle" rather than the desired blast. In modern nuclear weapons a pulsed neutron emitting tube
Neutron generator
Neutron generators are neutron source devices which contain compact linear accelerators and that produce neutrons by fusing isotopes of hydrogen together. The fusion reactions take place in these devices by accelerating either deuterium, tritium, or a mixture of these two isotopes into a metal...
has replaced polonium
Polonium
Polonium is a chemical element with the symbol Po and atomic number 84, discovered in 1898 by Marie Skłodowska-Curie and Pierre Curie. A rare and highly radioactive element, polonium is chemically similar to bismuth and tellurium, and it occurs in uranium ores. Polonium has been studied for...
/beryllium
Beryllium
Beryllium is the chemical element with the symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a divalent element which occurs naturally only in combination with other elements in minerals. Notable gemstones which contain beryllium include beryl and chrysoberyl...
initiators, as polonium-210 has a relatively short half-life and thus would need to be replaced every few months.
Delmar
In 2007 Russian president Vladimir PutinVladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
posthumously awarded Zhorzh Abramovich “George” Koval a gold star making him a hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation is a Russian decoration and the highest honorary title that can be bestowed on a citizen by the Russian Federation. The President of the Russian Federation is the main conferring authority of the medal, which is bestowed on those committing actions or deeds that...
for his work as the GRU
GRU
GRU or Glavnoye Razvedyvatel'noye Upravleniye is the foreign military intelligence directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation...
spy “Delmar”. Russian officials stated that the initiator for their Joe-1 bomb had been “prepared to the recipe provided by Delmar”.
Koval was a US citizen born in Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
in 1913 to parents of Belorussian origin. In 1932 his family returned to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. In 1939 he was drafted into the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
, joining the GRU intelligence service. Koval returned to the US in 1940 and was drafted into the US Army in 1943. He was inducted into the Special Engineering Detachment
Special Engineering Detachment
Special Engineer Detachment was a US Army program that identified enlisted personnel with technical skills, such as machining, or who had some science education beyond high school. Those identified were organized into the Special Engineer Detachment, or SED. SED personnel began arriving at Los...
of the Manhattan project. Koval was initially assigned to Oak Ridge
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a multiprogram science and technology national laboratory managed for the United States Department of Energy by UT-Battelle. ORNL is the DOE's largest science and energy laboratory. ORNL is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, near Knoxville...
where his job as a health physics
Health physics
Health physics is a field of science concerned with radiation physics and radiation biology with the goal of providing technical information and proper techniques regarding the safe use of ionizing radiation...
officer gave him access to much of the plant. He began passing secrets relating to the production of polonium at Oak Ridge to his GRU handler code named “Clyde”. In 1945 Koval was transferred to Dayton. Again his job as a health physics officer gave him wide access to the secret installation.
In 1946 he left the Army. Koval returned to the Soviet Union via Europe in 1948. In 1949 the Soviets detonated their first atomic bomb. The FBI did not begin to suspect Koval until the mid 1950’s, long after he had left the US. In 2002 Vladimir Lota published “The GRU and the Atom Bomb” explaining Delmar’s role. Koval died in 2006.