China Academy of Sciences and Atomic Bomb
Mao Zedong has established an active defense strategy.
From the beginning of 1956 to June 1967, he served as Party Secretary and Vice President of China Academy of Sciences. As early as the mid-1950s, President the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Chairman Mao Zedong made the decision to develop the atomic bomb. According to the international situation at that time, President Mao Zedong established a strategic policy of active defense. Chairman Mao decided that China would also build an atomic bomb for self-defense. We don't attack others first, but it's not passive defense, but active defense. In other words, if someone attacks us, we must find a way to deal with him. This is Chairman Mao's consistent strategic thinking. If someone bombards us with an atomic bomb, we should also try to strike back at him. So the central government decided that we should also develop atomic bombs. At that time, the general policy was self-reliance, supplemented by seeking foreign aid. We must rely on our own research and development, and at the same time, we must strive for foreign aid. At that time, western countries blocked us, and Sino-Soviet relations were better. We want to get some assistance from the Soviet Union. But there is a limit, that is, just ask for assistance, not cooperation, not * * *. In other words, the scientific research units, factories, various equipment and technologies of the atomic bomb are all from China. You can come and help me. I welcome you and thank you, but you can't have it with me. Use it with me. This is a major issue in safeguarding our national sovereignty. Therefore, it is suggested that self-reliance should be the mainstay, supplemented by foreign aid. You shouldn't come with me to take charge of this unit and this matter. I understand that this was the policy of the central government to engage in atomic bombs at that time, and it was the strategic policy of active defense established by Chairman Mao with foresight.
The Academy of Sciences accepts the tasks assigned by the CPC Central Committee.
It is very important that the central government decided to develop atomic bombs mainly by self-reliance. Later, I decided to be self-reliant and develop missiles and satellites by myself, collectively known as "two bombs and one satellite".
Atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs were handled by the Second Machinery Department, and missiles were handled by the Fifth Research Institute of the Ministry of National Defense (later the Seventh Machinery Department). Chairman Mao has an instruction on the development of the atomic bomb: "We want Qi Xin to work together to do this work well." China Academy of Sciences, in accordance with the spirit of "great cooperation" and "three schools twisted into one rope" determined by the central authorities, mainly undertakes a series of key scientific and technological tasks in the development of atomic bombs and missiles, including theoretical analysis, scientific experiments, scheme design, development and even batch manufacturing of various special new materials, components and instruments. As for the artificial satellite, from conception to suggestion, it was put forward by Chinese Academy of Sciences and launched twice (1958 and 1965). With the approval of the Central Special Committee with Premier Zhou Enlai as the director and Secretary-General Luo Ruiqing as the specific leader of this work, under the unified organization of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission, China Academy of Sciences is responsible for the technical grasp of the whole system and the development of the satellite body, the Seventh Machinery Department is responsible for the carrier, and both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Fourth Machinery Department are responsible for the ground measurement and control system.
The Academy of Sciences attached great importance to the task of "two bombs and one satellite" issued by the CPC Central Committee, and the party group decided that I should take the lead, and Vice President Pei specifically implemented the arrangement of "two bombs and one satellite" research work. For the convenience of work, I arrange several top middle-aged scientists to be academic secretaries in each research institute. Through them, I know the situation, listen to opinions, and then talk about my work with other scientists. So this historical situation, including scientific research, is quite clear to me.
At that time, in order to implement the development task of "two bombs and one satellite", the Chinese Academy of Sciences divided the management organization into two parts: one part was the Planning Bureau, which managed units that did not undertake national defense tasks; One is the new technology bureau, which is in charge of units undertaking national defense tasks. Although there are not as many units under the New Technology Bureau as the Planning Bureau, they are all large units, and the researchers involved in the development of "two bombs and one satellite" account for two-thirds of the researchers in the hospital. Grain Rain is the director of the New Technology Bureau, Zheng Song is the deputy director, and Lu Maoguan is the director, helping Grain Rain to work. Old comrades all know that Grain Rain is the wife of Comrade Hu Qiaomu, Qiao Mu is the political secretary of Chairman Mao and lives in Zhongnanhai. Grain Rain is enthusiastic, active and capable. She is familiar with the State Planning Commission and the central ministries, which is convenient for her to talk about work and support each other. Sometimes Chairman Mao asks her about the Academy of Sciences and "two bombs and one satellite", and she can reflect it to Chairman Mao in person.
At that time, in addition to the funds and equipment needed for the project, the New Technology Bureau also gave priority to ensuring that many non-standard equipment could be arranged in various industrial departments to assist in processing and manufacturing. The non-standard equipment used in our research room and experimental base is designed by the Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences and manufactured by relevant industrial departments on time to ensure quality and timely delivery. This work is under the unified responsibility of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission, and military representatives are stationed in the factory to supervise, and scientific research institutes that propose designs can also send personnel to supervise in the factory.
Give priority to self-reliance and strive for foreign aid as a supplement.
How to carry out the principle of self-reliance first and foreign aid second when engaging in atomic bombs?
Self-reliance means mainly relying on one's own strength for scientific research. At that time, the power to study nuclear science and technology was mainly concentrated in the Institute of Atomic Energy of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and some were scattered in research institutions of Chinese Academy of Sciences and other departments and more than 20 research institutes of universities. With the help of foreign aid, the Soviet Union promised to help us build a 7000 kW experimental atomic energy reactor somewhere in Beijing. This reactor is completely under our control. In addition, the key raw material for building an enriched uranium factory in another place is enriched uranium.
The raw material for making atomic bombs is uranium -235. One day, Chairman Mao found geologist Li Siguang, who was then the Minister of Geology and the Vice President of China Academy of Sciences. Chairman Mao asked, "Is there any uranium ore in China to make atomic bombs?" Li Siguang said, "Yes! The general natural uranium ore can only contain a few thousandths of ingredients that can be used as raw materials for atomic bombs. " To extract a few thousandths of uranium from ore and concentrate it into the raw material of atomic bomb, the most important thing is to establish a uranium enrichment plant.
Song Renqiong transferred troops to the Academy of Sciences.
In order to build an atomic bomb, the Central Committee specially set up the Second Machinery Department, with Song Renqiong as the minister. He is four or five years older than me. I call him yogurt. We worked together in Anhui for several months. It was when millions of troops crossed the Yangtze River that the Central Committee decided to set up the Anhui Provincial Committee. He is the secretary of the provincial party Committee and the chairman of the provincial government, and I am the vice chairman of the provincial government.
One day after I went to work in the Academy of Sciences, you AE called and said that he would come to my house to see me. I said, "Don't come, I'll go. You are the eldest brother. " He said, "No, I will definitely come to your place!" " Because the atomic bomb, self-reliance, mainly rely on the Institute of Atomic Energy of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in order to facilitate the work, the central government decided to hand over the whole system to the Second Engine Department, but it is also called the Institute of Atomic Energy of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, nominally led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Second Engine Department. Because the task of developing an atomic bomb is heavy and the scientific research strength is not enough, the task is broken down. In addition to the larger tasks undertaken by atomic energy, many important tasks have to be undertaken by various research institutes of the Academy of Sciences. Of course, the Erji Department also requires the central ministries to undertake some tasks. But at that time, the research institutions of the central ministries and commissions had just been established, and their scientific and technological strength was not strong. Some of them can endure, others can't, and the task still falls on the shoulders of the Academy of Sciences. After the whole system of the Atomic Energy Institute was transferred to the Second Machinery Department, the backbone was not enough and needed the support of the Academy of Sciences. We also transferred a group of scientific and technological backbones from other research institutes to them.
The Institute of Atomic Energy of Chinese Academy of Sciences was built in 1956 Zhongguancun, which was the best building in Zhongguancun at that time. After the Atomic Energy Institute was handed over to the Second Engine Department, an experimental atomic energy reactor was built with the assistance of the Soviet Union. Atomic energy is divided into two parts, and most people move to experimental atomic energy reactors. At that time, there were two Yang scientists engaged in atomic energy in the Academy of Sciences: one was Yang Chengzong who came back from studying in France; A Yang Chengzhong, who came back from studying in England. Some of their names are homophones. To distinguish them, we call them "Yang Fa" and "Angelababy". "Yang Fa" engaged in radiochemistry, which was very important at that time. Our most important measure is to transfer a group of scientists such as Yang Chengzong to the Atomic Energy Reactor of the Institute of Atomic Energy ("Angelababy" Yang Chengzhong stayed in Lanzhou Institute of Modern Physics of Chinese Academy of Sciences to cooperate with the Institute of Atomic Energy). Another part of the Institute of Atomic Energy stayed in Zhongguancun to do theoretical work. After the Atomic Energy Institute handed it over to the Second Machinery Department, I greeted them and said that you would not come to the Academy of Sciences for a meeting in the future, but would go to the Second Machinery Department for a meeting. However, the secretary and director of their Party committees always attend the meetings of the Academy of Sciences, because we were studying many issues of scientific policy, scientist policy and intellectual policy at that time, and they were very willing to listen and must attend our meetings. At that time, the Academy of Sciences was very attractive. Wang, a chemist transferred from a university, also went to the department.
The most important problem in making an atomic bomb is the extraction of enriched uranium. The isotope 235 content of natural uranium that can be extracted from ore is only a few thousandths. In addition, uranium refining is also very important. Therefore, the scientific research task in chemistry is very heavy. At that time, there were four most famous chemical research institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, all of which had outstanding scientists as directors. They were called "four families": one was Mr. Zhuang Changgong from Shanghai Institute of Organic Sciences; One is Mr. Xuezhou Wu from Changchun Huaying Research Institute; And Liu Jiaoshou of Beijing Institute of Chemistry. In addition, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics is also very strong, where there is teacher Zhang. I said to the top three, several chemistry institutes of the Academy of Sciences undertake your tasks, and you know which one can undertake what tasks. You can ask who will undertake what task, and we will arrange and select the best person to do the work for you.
At that time, Shanghai organic research institute only had the right to research but not the right to produce, so it could not provide products. After I went to the Academy of Sciences, I asked all research institutes to set up small factories, and the Shanghai Municipal Committee also gave us a number of small factories as experimental factories of the research institutes. Moreover, choose the best teacher. I invited many old workers from Lv Zhengcao, Minister of Railways, which is very good. I said that your Ministry of Railways has a locomotive and rolling stock factory with thousands of people. Choose the best workers to support the Academy of Sciences. We also have affiliated factories in various research institutes. We can't do it without the instruments and equipment we need. To set up a laboratory, we must develop equipment. Some can buy, some can't, do it yourself. In addition, there are many non-standard equipment, and researchers design drawings for factories to do. So we selected many old masters from the Ministry of Railways. I held a special old staff meeting in Zhongguancun, Beijing. I said you are good at gold, and your hands are gold. Can make a lot of good things! The old worker was very happy to hear that. In addition, thousands of skilled soldiers were selected as workers from the demobilized soldiers of the technical arms of the army, and they played a great role.
1960, the Soviet Union unilaterally tore up the agreement and withdrew the experts. At that time, the uranium enrichment plant was the most affected, and the key materials were not given by the Soviet Union, so the whole plant was shut down. There are three most pressing key technical problems:
In addition, the Academy of Sciences has also done a lot of work in the collection of atomic bomb test data. The experiment is mainly conducted in an open place, and its destructive power can be tested, aiming at various buildings and creatures, including monkeys and rabbits in iron cages. Because atomic bombs are radioactive, let's see how much they are damaged by radioactivity. There are many China Academy of Sciences, all of which sent people to the base to participate in experiments.