The Spy Who Gave Stalin the Bomb

Newsthink August 26, 2025
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Brilliant people shaping our world. Hi, I'm Cindy Pom, and before starting Newsthink, I worked as an international correspondent in Paris and London, contributing to CBS News and Canada's CBC News, CTV News, and Global News. But I wanted to tell in-depth stories that aren't always given the attention they deserve. So, I decided to go independent. Thanks for joining me on this journey of discovery! For business and partnership inquiries: [email protected] Or use my link to book a sponsorship now: https://app.thoughtleaders.io/#/reserve?channelId=193635

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Klaus Fuchs helped create the atomic bomb, then handed it to the enemy. Try https://brilliant.org/Newsthink/ and get 20% off your annual premium subscription. I highly recommend Frank Close’s book: Trinity: The Treachery and Pursuit of the Most Dangerous Spy in History https://a.co/d/gsFKDST Chapters: 0:00 The Most Dangerous Spy in History 0:22 Early Life in Nazi Germany 01:08 A New Life in England 01:31 The Discovery of Nuclear Fission 03:09 Contact with the Soviets 03:44 Betraying His New Family 05:18 Joining the Manhattan Project 6:01 Designing the Plutonium Bomb 6:57 Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Horror 7:22 The Cold War Begins 8:14 First Suspicions 9:49 The Soviet Bomb 10:22 Cracked by VENONA 11:14 The Interrogations 12:35 A Moment of Weakness 12:52 The Confession 13:47 Trial and Sentence 14:36 Fallout in Washington 15:27 Release and Exile 16:33 Today’s Sponsor: Brilliant Newsthink is produced and presented by Cindy Pom https://x.com/cindypom Grab your Newsthink merch here: https://newsthink.creator-spring.com Support Cindy on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Newsthink Sources: Image of Genia and Rudolf Peierls: Photograph by Francis Simon, courtesy of AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Simon Collection Warneford Hospital: Part of Warneford Hospital by Des Blenkinsopp, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons Brixton Prison: By David Anstiss, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons Old Bailey courthouse entrance: By Tbmurray - Own work, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsTU Dresden: Jörg Blobelt, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons