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Note 3: Page 269, Line 15 to Page 270, Line 7: “Why have you brought me here . . . release me and my friend—and quick.” The dialogue as set out here is exactly as Sneum told the author. Tommy’s recollections showed great consistency over the years.

Note 4: Page 270, Line 35 to Page 271, Line 6: Sneum’s candid explanation of his motive here came during interviews with the author, Mark Ryan, from 1998 to 2006.

CHAPTERS 39: THE CONSEQUENCES

Note 1: Page 273, Line 29: “ . . . it was Ronald Turnbull.” This was Sneum’s repeated claim to the author, Mark Ryan, between 1998 and 2006. SOE records show that Turnbull was indeed due in London for meetings at that time. Turnbull was unable to confirm this meeting on the plane when asked by the author, though he admitted it could have happened.

Note 2: Page 275, Line 26: “A personality clash erupted . . . ” This insider’s account was given to the author by Hazel Seymour, an SIS secretary in their Broadway HQ and the wife of Charles Seymour—Rabagliati’s number two at the time and his eventual successor.

CHAPTER 40: THE ORDEAL

Note 1: Page 278, Lines 25-26: “‘You were going to betray us,’ the officer suggested.” The precise interrogation transcripts had been withheld by the British Secret Service at the time of writing. Therefore the dialogue featured here was painstakingly reconstructed with the help of Tommy Sneum, as with the other interrogations he underwent in England after this one. His recollections remained consistent during interviews with the author between 1998 and 2006.

Note 2: Page 281, Line 9: “Enrico Fermi.” Fermi himself was well known in the scientific world, having won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1938. But the potential for an atom bomb was not widely understood at all; so Fermi’s groundbreaking work in nuclear physics had not been linked with future military weaponry—at least not by more than a handful of people. Fortunately, Fermi had moved from his native Italy to the USA soon after receiving his Nobel Prize. Therefore he was ideally placed to help those who did understand the race against the Nazis to develop the atom bomb—and the need to win that race at all costs.

Note 3: Page 281, Lines 22-23: “ . . . such a weapon could not be built in time to make a difference to the war.” Indeed Heisenberg met Speer in that very month of June 1942 and repeated his view that an atom bomb would take at least two years to develop and was therefore not a viable military option. Speer virtually gave up on the idea from that point onwards, having already come to the conclusion that Heisenberg knew best.

Note 4: Page 283, Lines 13-16: “A popular MI5 technique . . . dropped their guard.” This British Intelligence technique is mentioned in the War Office files at the National Archives, Kew, London.

Note 5: Page 285, Lines 11-35: ‘Your bed ... swing in five weeks.’ Dialogue as remembered by Sneum in interviews with the author, 1998-2006.

CHAPTER 41: A DIPLOMATIC INCIDENT

Note 1: Page 287, Lines 6-7: “Rabagliati had asked Seymour . . . solidarity.” Source: Hazel Seymour, SIS secretary and wife of Charles Seymour.

Note 2: Page 289, Line 17, to 290, Line 9: “Bill’s the name ... back to your cell.” This dialogue was reconstructed with the help of Tommy Sneum, whose account never varied.

Note 3: Page 290, Line 31: “ . . . Thatched House Club in West London.” This event is mentioned in the SOE Files in the National Archives, Kew, London.

Note 4: Page 290, Lines 33-38: ‘The treatment of Sneum . . . companion in flight, Helv ard.’ From Stagg’s report in the Seidenfadens Archives

Note 5: Page 291, Line 7: “ . . . irresponsible and erratic.” Source: SOE Files at the National Archives in Kew, London.

Note 6: Page 291, Lines 20-21: “Moeller’s letter . . . ” This letter is to be found in the SOE Files at the National Archives in Kew, London.

Note 7: Page 292, Lines 13-14: “ . . . full-blown