George C. Eltenton Explained

George C. Eltenton
Birth Name:George Charles Eltenton
Birth Date:14 April 1905
Birth Place:Manchester, England
Death Place:Heswall, Merseyside, England
Fields:Chemical physics
Alma Mater:University of Cambridge
Spouse:Ada Dorothea Hamilton
Children:3, including Anya Linden

George Charles Eltenton (14 April 1905 – 26 April 1991) was an English physicist, specialising in chemical physics and a pioneer of mass spectrometry.[1] [2] He was a Fellow of the Physical Society.[3] He and his wife were suspected of being agents of the USSR looking for US atom bomb secrets. He was named by Robert Oppenheimer when interviewed by the Atomic Energy Commission[4] which resulted in Oppenheimer being stripped of his security clearance, in the so-called Chevalier Incident.

Personal life

Eltenton was born in Manchester on 14 April 1905.[5] He attended Bedales School and studied physics at Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating with a first-class in Part I of the natural sciences tripos and a second in Part II.[6] [7] He married Ada Dorothea Hamilton (1904–2001)[5] [6] (known as Dorothea or Dolly) and they had three children: a son, Michael, and two daughters, Ann and Jane.[8] Ann became a ballerina under the stage name Anya Linden. Jane was born in Russia. Eltenton died on 26 April 1991 in Heswall, Merseyside.[5]

Professional life

Following university, Eltenton began work in 1930 at the British Cotton Research Institute. In the summer of 1931 however, Eltenton visited a friend he had known at Cambridge, Yulii Khariton, at the Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics in Leningrad. He was offered a post in there, and moved to the USSR to work from 1933 until 1938,[6] only leaving because, with the Soviet Great Purge, there was suspicion of foreigners. Like many others, his visa was not renewed, so he returned to England.

The same year he published a paper in the prestigious journal Nature, showing the first identification of free radicals by mass spectrometer, and was invited to the research laboratories of Shell Development Corporation, California to build one of the first mass spectrometers in the US.[9] Here he produced significant work on free radical mass spectrometry.[10]

In 1947 he returned to England, joining the research laboratory of Shell plc at Ellesmere Port, later transferring to the physics laboratory of Stanlow Refinery and producing a number of patents.[6]

Political activity

USSR 1933–1938

Dorothea Eltenton wrote a book describing the family's life in the USSR.[11] This was a happy time, despite primitive conditions compared with England, and she writes admiringly of the socialist society they experienced as it developed, with its community spirit, sexual equality and people's local democratic participation in decisions relating to work and public services. In particular they appreciated the free education and free health service. Her experience of maternity and post-natal care was favourably compared with that in the UK (a decade before the introduction of the National Health Service).

On vacations George Eltenton was able to enjoy his passions for motorcycling and rock climbing.

US 1938–1947

Eltenton was an open admirer of the USSR and its people.[9] Both he and his wife gave lectures at the California Labor School on Russian life, and were active in the American Russian Institute.[6] He was also a trade union activist for the Federation of Architects, Engineers, Chemists and Technicians at Shell,[12] and was at a meeting where Robert Oppenheimer encouraged the formation of a section at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

In 1939, with the beginning of the Second World War he contacted the British Embassy to volunteer, but was told his work for the oil company was better use of his talents. In 1941 the USSR was invaded by Germany, and he and his wife became active members of the Russian War Relief organization.

In May 1942, after the US had also joined the war and was therefore an ally of the USSR, the Eltentons had Piotr Ivanov, the third secretary at the Soviet Consulate as a dinner guest. It was there that Ivanov raised the possibility of atomic research being shared between the US and the USSR, and suggested three scientists who might be prepared to do so, if discretion could be assured. Eltenton was doubtful, but agreed to ask a mutual friend Haakon Chevalier to suggest this to Oppenheimer.[13] Chevalier reported back that Oppenheimer was not interested, but when the fact of the approach was revealed by Oppenheimer in 1946, Eltenton was interviewed by the FBI.

UK 1947–1991

Shortly after being named in testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee, the Eltentons returned to England.[14] He first took a senior position at the Shell physics research laboratory, but after investigation by MI5 was moved to an area solely concerned with refinery operations.[15]

Publications

Patents

Notes and References

  1. Book: Mass Spectrometry . 1963 . . McDowell . Charles A. . New York . 56, 443, 542 .
  2. Book: Frontiers in Chemistry . 1949 . . Burk . R. E. . VII . 199 . Grummitt . Oliver.
  3. Hume . C W . C. W. Hume . 1933 . Proceedings at Meetings . . 45 . xiv .
  4. Web site: J. Robert Oppenheimer Personnel Hearings Transcripts Vol XVI . May 3, 1954 . www.osti.gov . US Dept of Energy . 13 September 2023 . 3874–3963.
  5. [General Register Office for England and Wales]
  6. [The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]
  7. "University News", The Times, 5 July 1926, p. 21; "University News", The Times, 18 June 1927, p. 9.
  8. US Census 1940
  9. Carleton . Lee . 1992 . Letters . Engineering & Science . . 39 . 0013-7812 .
  10. Lossing . F P . May 1957 . Mass spectrometry of free radicals . . 67 . 9 . 499–517 . 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1957.tb46074.x. 1957NYASA..67..499L . 83484170 .
  11. Book: Eltenton, Dorothea . Anya Sainsbury . 1998 .
  12. Book: Bird . Kai . Sherwin . Martin J . 2005 . American Prometheus : the triumph and tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer . New York . Alfred A. Knopf . 238 . 0375412026 .
  13. Book: Herken, Gregg . Brotherhood of the Bomb: The Tangled Lives and Loyalties of Robert Oppenheimer, Ernest Lawrence, and Edward Teller . . 2002 . 978-0-8050-6588-6 . New York . 92 . Gregg Herken.
  14. News: . October 31, 1947 . Accused Physicist Reported Abroad; Eltenton, Linked to Testimony on Espionage, Said to Have Taken Job in England . 3 . .
  15. [The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]
  16. 2501598. Magnetic method of pipe-line inspection. US. 1950-03-21. Shell Development Company. Eltenton. George C.. Fallgatter. Marvin B..
  17. 2501599. Photoelectric colorimeter. US. 1950-03-21. Shell Development Company. Eltenton. George C.. Fallgatter. Marvin B..
  18. 2569127. Refractive index measurement of fluids. US. 1951-09-25. Shell Development Company. Eltenton. George C..
  19. 676606. Process for the purification of spent sulphuric acid. GB. 1952-07-30. Shell Refining & Marketing Co. Ltd.. Eltenton. George Charles. Preece. William Alfred John. Hope. Stanley.
  20. 2674696. Infrared gas analyzer. US. 1954-04-06. Shell Development Company. Smith. Vigo N.. Eltenton. George C..
  21. 1721856. Improvements in and relating to the preparation of oil solutions of highly basic polyvalent metal salts of organic acids. 1956-10-11. AU. Shell Research Ltd.. Dewhurst. Alan. Eltenton. George Charles.
  22. 1005495. DE. Verfahren zum Entfernen von Kohle und kohlenstoffhaltigem Material aus gebrauchter Schwefelsaeure [Process for removing coal and carbonaceous material from used sulfuric acid]. 1957-04-04. Shell Refining & Marketing Co. Ltd.. Eltenton. George Charles. Preece. William Alfred John. Hope. Stanley.
  23. 768744 . Improvements in or relating to apparatus for measuring vapour pressure. GB. 1957-02-20. Shell Research Ltd.. Sumner. Fred. Thomson. Alexander. Eltenton. George Charles.
  24. 795172. Improvements in and relating to the preparation of basic polyvalent metal salts of organic acids. 1958-05-21. GB. Shell Research Ltd.. Dewhurst. Alan. Eltenton. George Charles.
  25. 855774. Sulphonation of organic liquids. GB. 1960-12-07. Shell Research Ltd.. Eltenton. George Charles. Osgathorp. Francis Derek Henry.
  26. 1006694. A method of and apparatus for separating liquid phases. GB. 1965-10-06. Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij. Eltenton. George Charles.
  27. 714896. Rotary separation of viscous pseudo-plastics. CA. 1965-08-03. Shell Oil Co.. Eltenton. George Charles.

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