A Moment of Truth for the Post-War World (02:14)

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In the summer of 1949, three trains carrying scientists, soldiers and Soviet Union's first atomic bomb headed to Kazakhstan to test the nuclear weapon. The mission was carried out in utmost secrecy.

Post-War Soviet Espionage in America (02:04)

In September 1945, FBI agents trailed a suspected Russian spy Anatoli Yakovlev into a New York cinema playing a Soviet propaganda film. Bob Lamphier recalls he likely received a message in an operation to steal U.S. atomic secrets.

KGB's Department S (01:30)

General Pavel Sudoplatov recalls being assigned the Soviet nuclear weapons program. He had worked as a guerrilla assassin during World War II and was familiar with the feared Secret Police headquarters.

A Shelved Soviet Nuclear Project (00:55)

While KGB chief Lavrentiy Beria had collected thousands of documents on the American atomic program, his obsession with secrecy only permitted one Russian scientist access to them—resulting in the Soviet Union falling behind the U.S.

Building a Team of Discrete Soviet Scientists (01:28)

Convinced the U.S. would soon attack Russia, Stalin ordered Sudoplatov to revive the shelved nuclear weapons program. Russian scientists recall being summoned to work in the Secret Police building.

Testing Soviet Secrecy (02:15)

KGB Chief Lavrentiy Beria ordered Pavel Sudoplatov to host a dinner party for potential atomic project candidates to see if they would reveal important secrets while drinking. They passed, and now had their work cut out for them.

Operation Enormous: Triumph for the KGB's Department S (02:06)

The attack on Japan prompted Russia to catch up to the U.S. atomic project. We learn details of how a war time Soviet spy ring based in New York stole American atomic bomb blueprints.

Russia's Atomic Project: a Privileged Few (01:56)

Although the post-war Soviet Union suffered from damage and deprivation, the KGB's Department S enjoyed relative luxury—receiving foods unavailable to most citizens. Scientists recall the rigorous work schedule.

Operating Under Top Soviet Secrecy (03:17)

Russian translators and scientists recall procedures required to keep the KGB's atomic activities covert. They worked with stolen U.S. classified documents and were even unknown among other Kremlin departments.

Acting in the Name of Humanity (01:05)

Russian scientists were granted a meeting with Niels Bohr, a nuclear physicist who had helped the Americans develop their atomic bomb. He hoped to avoid an arms race by appealing to the international scientific community.

Seizing an Opportunity for the Soviet Atomic Project (02:30)

Department S scientists had reached a deadlock and needed help; representative Tereletsky was sent to meet with Niels Bohr in Denmark. He recalls receiving instructions from KGB chief Beria for his crucial mission.

Meeting with Niels Bohr (02:22)

Soviet scientist Tereletsky recalls a tense trip to Copenhagen under U.S. surveillance. It was only partially successful: Bohr didn't know specific details needed to work on the Russian atomic bomb—and he was against the arms race.

Underestimating Russia's Atomic Progress (01:37)

Soviet scientist Tereletsky asked Niels Bohr's advice on which type of bomb to build. The physicist gave him an American book detailing the U.S. nuclear project; its publication proved one of the major security mistakes of the Cold War.

Soviet Breakthrough: Luck Rather than Ingenuity (02:30)

Niels Bohr's gift of a book containing information on the U.S. atomic project helped the Russians advance their own nuclear program. His reasoning was that if every country had access to the bomb, humanity would prevent nuclear war.

Choosing a Russian Nuclear Construction Site (02:02)

We hear from Yuli Khariton's personal housekeeper who learned to keep absolute secrecy about her employer's involvement with the atomic bomb. The Soviet explosives expert settled on a location 400 miles outside Moscow.

Arzamas-16: Building a Nuclear Research Center (02:04)

The Soviet atomic project's construction site took over the historic town of Sarov. Gulag prisoners were enlisted to construct an entire secret suburb; it is a closed city to this day.

KGB's Nuclear Security Operation (02:24)

Residents of secret Soviet atomic research center Arzamas-16 lived in fear and isolation during Stalin's era; even scientists were under suspicion. Retired employees recall the climate of fear where even a minor slip could cost one's life.

Gathering Materials for the Russian Atomic Bomb (02:01)

Bomb Early on, the Soviet nuclear project faced difficulties in sourcing uranium: it was only mined in a remote Tajikistan valley. A break came when a store was discovered in East Germany, near the American zone.

Completing the First Phase in the Russian Atomic Project (02:32)

A lab assistant recalls testing the first Soviet nuclear reactor in 1946. Anxious for the bomb itself to be built, KGB chief Lavrentiy Beria barely appreciated reaching the project milestone.

Iron Curtain Descends (01:14)

By the summer of 1948, the Allied partnership between the Soviet Union and the West had disintegrated. The U.S. drew the line at Berlin under the pretense of possessing the atomic bomb—but the Russians were close to developing their own.

Russia's Secret Uranium Supply (01:09)

The U.S. government believed it would take the Soviets 20 years to develop nuclear weapons due to a lack of uranium—but the Russian atomic program had acquired both raw materials and relevant technology by the late 1940s.

Touring Soviet Plutonium Facilities (02:43)

Soviet engineer Vladimir Merkin recalls being summoned to construct a nuclear reactor for plutonium production. His team worked under national pressure to complete their project as quickly as possible—finishing in 20 months.

Building the Russian Nuclear Bomb (01:13)

Soviet scientist Yuli Khariton designed a weapon that matched the American model; it outwardly resembles "Fat Man", the bomb dropped on Nagasaki.

A Historic Moment for Soviet Russia (03:44)

In August 1949, the Soviet nuclear bomb was sent to a test site in remote Kazakhstan—accompanied by soldiers, scientists and top Politburo members whose fate depended on a successful detonation. We see footage of the resulting mushroom cloud.

Setting the Arms Race in Motion (00:49)

News of the Soviet Union's successful atomic detonation quickly reached the West—dispelling popular beliefs that Russia's nuclear arms program was still far behind that of the U.S.

Credits: Stolen Secrets—The Red Bomb: Russia’s Top-Secret Nuclear Program (00:54)

Credits: Stolen Secrets—The Red Bomb: Russia’s Top-Secret Nuclear Program