WWII Science & Technology: The Race That Changed Everything - Part 7: The Tizard Mission: When Britain Bet Its Survival on a Suitcase
Key Takeaways The Gamble: Britain, facing invasion, gave away its most advanced secrets to a neutral nation that might never enter the war. The Cargo: One small box contained the cavity magnetron, jet engine designs, nuclear research, and more—worth billions in development costs. The Trust: No formal treaty, no guarantee of return. Britain simply trusted America to use the technology against their common enemy. The Result: American industry produced what British factories couldn't. The technology returned to the battlefield, made in USA. The Lesson: Sometimes the only way to keep something is to give it away. The Most Important Suitcase in History In early September 1940, a British scientific delegation boarded a ship bound for America. They carried a black metal deed box about the size of a small suitcase. ...