Today is the 53rd anniversary of the death of Edgar Sengier. Edgar who? He is the most important ignored hero of World War II.
In September of 1942, Colonel Kenneth Nichols, 2nd in command of The Manhattan Project, was tasked by General Groves to find a source of uranium for The Manhattan Project. Nichols, based on scientific reports, headed to New York to meet with Edgar Sengier.
Sengier, a Belgian geologist, owned a uranium mine in Shinkolobwe, Congo. When they met, Nichols asked if the Congo mine could supply uranium ore for the project’s use.
His response might be the most stunning answer of World War II.
“You can have the ore now. It is in New York, a thousand tons of it. I was waiting for your visit.”
The back story. The Shinkolobwe mine is a geological freak of nature. Much of the ore in the world has 1.5% uranium in it. Experts claim that fraction of ore is a solid number for enrichment. The Congo mine’s ore was 65% uranium. An astonishing number.
Sengier, knew, somehow, someway, that this ore could be used for a weapon and that Hitler must not ever get the Congo ore. So, Sengier, without help and without compensation, shipped 1,200 tons of uranium ore to New York City, to keep it out of German hands. He shipped the ore in November of 1940. Colonel Nichols walked into his office in September of 1942.
It was an amazing act of foresight and courage. He is perhaps, the most unknown, most ignored hero of World War II.