Montreal Laboratory

The Montreal Laboratory was a program started by the National Research Council of Canada in the 1940s during World War II. It was made to do nuclear research with scientists from the United Kingdom. Some of these scientists had worked on the Tube Alloys project in Britain. The Montreal Laboratory later joined the famous Manhattan Project and helped make some of the world’s first nuclear reactors.

After the Fall of France, some French scientists brought a special material called heavy water to Britain. They worked at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. Because it wasn’t clear how this work fit with building an atomic bomb, the group moved closer to the Manhattan Project’s reactor work. Because of safety and legal issues, the group moved to Canada instead of the United States.

The Canadian government let the scientists work there, and the Montreal Laboratory was set up in a building owned by McGill University. In 1943, it moved to the Université de Montréal. Over time, scientists from many countries worked there, including France, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Britain, and Canada. Even though it was hard to get the materials they needed, the laboratory helped with early nuclear science. Later, a new place called the Chalk River Laboratories opened, and the Montreal Laboratory closed in 1946.

Early nuclear research in Canada

Canada has a long history with nuclear research. It began with the work of Ernest Rutherford at McGill University in 1899. In 1940, George Laurence of the National Research Council (NRC) started experiments in Ottawa. He studied neutron capture and nuclear fission in uranium. He used materials from the Eldorado Mine at Port Radium. He tested his ideas with a Geiger counter.

These experiments continued into 1942 but had problems because of impurities. Even so, Laurence’s work interested British scientists. This included R. H. Fowler and John Cockcroft. They told him about nuclear research in Britain and the United States. This brought more support and interest to Canada’s nuclear science.

French connection

During World War II, scientists from France, including Hans von Halban, Lew Kowarski, and Francis Perrin, escaped to Britain with a special kind of water called heavy water. Heavy water helps in nuclear reactions.

These scientists worked in Britain for a time but wanted a safer place. They chose Canada because it could make more heavy water. Canada agreed to help, and the scientists worked together to design early nuclear reactors. Their teamwork was important for early progress in nuclear science.

Establishment

The Montreal Laboratory was started in the 1940s during World War II by the National Research Council of Canada. It was made to do nuclear research with the United Kingdom and to bring in scientists and work from the Tube Alloys project in Britain. The lab joined the famous Manhattan Project and helped design some of the world's first nuclear reactors.

Scientists from many countries came to the lab in Montreal. Some had come to Canada from Europe after the war began. They worked in a building at the Université de Montréal, which was quickly turned into their new laboratory. Over time, the team grew to more than 300 people, including many Canadian scientists.

Research

The Montreal Laboratory worked on nuclear reactors. They tried dissolving uranium in heavy water to make a special mix. They also looked at using uranium metal rods in heavy water. They were interested in reactors that could make new materials from uranium.

The Montreal Laboratory needed heavy water for reactors, but it was hard to get enough. After talks between leaders of Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, they worked together again. By 1944, they planned to build a heavy water reactor in Canada, with help from the United States.

In 1945, a small reactor named ZEEP became the first to operate outside the United States. It helped test ideas for bigger reactors. The larger NRX reactor followed in 1947 and became a powerful tool for research, helping science and medicine.

Atomic spies

In September 1945, a clerk named Igor Gouzenko from the Soviet Union's embassy in Ottawa defected to Canada. He brought important documents showing that some people in Canada were sharing secret information with the Soviet Union.

Among those involved were Alan Nunn May, who passed small samples of special uranium types to Soviet agents. Some scientists at the Montreal Laboratory were also suspected, but clear proof was never found. When this spy activity became known in 1946, the United States became more careful about sharing nuclear secrets with Britain and Canada.

Cooperation ends

The Montreal Laboratory was a successful international effort. But sometimes the Canadians felt the British were not very considerate. For example, in November 1945, the British government chose a new leader for their atomic research without telling Canada first. This showed that Britain’s interest in working with Canada was decreasing.

After World War II, cooperation between Britain and the United States changed. The British had hoped to share nuclear technology with America, but the U.S. limited this to basic research only. In February 1946, Britain announced plans to build its own nuclear reactor without consulting Canada. This upset the Canadians, and nuclear cooperation between Britain and Canada ended.