Of What Is Leo Szilard Guilty?

This article examines allegations made in Pavel Sudoplatov's book *Special Tasks* that prominent World War II physicists—Enrico Fermi, Robert Oppenheimer, and Leo Szilard—transmitted U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. It highlights Edward Teller's defense of Fermi, arguing there is no evidence Fermi aided Soviet espionage, and critiques Hans Bethe's denials as exaggerated. The article contends that Soviet access to U.S. atomic information came primarily through British intelligence channels rather than direct espionage at U.S. sites, implicating figures like Szilard as agents influenced by British pacifist and world-government advocates such as Bertrand Russell. It further explores the political motivations behind the development and use of the atomic bomb, suggesting that Russell and his associates sought to use nuclear weapons' terror to promote a global governance system, a perspective that shaped key Cold War-era disarmament efforts.