Catalogue of the papers and correspondence of Reginald Victor Jones CH FRS (1911-1997) by Alan Hayward NCUACS catalogue no. 95/8/00 R.V. Jones 1 NCUACS 95/8/00 Title: Catalogue of the papers and correspondence of Reginald Victor Jones CH FRS (1911-1997), physicist Compiled by: Alan Hayward Description level: Fonds Date of material: 1928-1998 Extent of material: 230 boxes, ca 5000 items Deposited in: Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill College, Cambridge CB3 0DS Reference code: GB 0014 2000 National Cataloguing Unit for the Archives of Contemporary Scientists, University of Bath. NCUACS catalogue no. 95/8/00 R.V. Jones 2 NCUACS 95/8/00 The work of the National Cataloguing Unit for the Archives of Contemporary Scientists, and the production of this catalogue, are made possible by the support of the Research Support Libraries Programme. R.V. Jones 3 NCUACS 95/8/00 NOT ALL THE MATERIAL IN THIS COLLECTION MAY YET BE AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTATION. ENQUIRIES SHOULD BE ADDRESSED IN THE FIRST INSTANCE TO: THE KEEPER OF THE ARCHIVES CHURCHILL ARCHIVES CENTRE CHURCHILL COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE R.V. Jones 4 NCUACS 95/8/00 LIST OF CONTENTS Items Page GENERAL INTRODUCTION 6 SECTION A BIOGRAPHICAL A.1 - A.302 12 SECTION B SECOND WORLD WAR B.1 - B.613 36 SECTION C UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN C.1 - C.282 95 SECTION D RESEARCH TOPICS AND SCIENCE INTERESTS D.1 - D.456 127 SECTION E DEFENCE AND INTELLIGENCE E.1 - E.256 180 SECTION F SCIENCE-RELATED INTERESTS F.1 - F.275 203 SECTION G VISITS AND CONFERENCES G.1 - G.448 238 SECTION H SOCIETIES AND ORGANISATIONS H.1 - H.922 284 SECTION J PUBLICATIONS J.1 - J.824 383 SECTION K LECTURES, SPEECHES AND BROADCASTS K.1 - K.495 450 SECTION L CORRESPONDENCE L.1 - L.140 495 R.V. Jones 5 NCUACS 95/8/00 SECTION M NON-TEXTUAL MATERIAL M.1 - M.50 511 INDEX OF CORRESPONDENTS 518 R.V. Jones 6 NCUACS 95/8/00 GENERAL INTRODUCTION PROVENANCE The papers were received in May 1998 from the executors of R.V. Jones and in October 2000 from Churchill Archives Centre. OUTLINE OF THE CAREER OF R.V. JONES Reginald Victor Jones (known to many friends simply as R.V.) was born in Dulwich, London on 29 September 1911. He attended Sussex Road Elementary School, Brixton from where he won a scholarship to Alleyn’s School, Dulwich. In 1929 Jones was awarded an Open Exhibition in Natural Science to Wadham College, Oxford, where T.C. Keeley was his tutor, and graduated with first class honours in physics in 1932. He was awarded a Research Studentship and at F.A. Lindemann’s suggestion began developing new infrared detectors in the Clarendon Laboratory. Jones took his doctorate in 1934 and was elected to the Skynner Senior Studentship in Astronomy by Balliol College, with the intention that he should work with H.H. Plaskett on the infrared spectrum of the sun. These plans, however, were not to come to fruition. Instead in late 1935, with Lindemann’s encouragement, Jones took part in trials to detect aircraft by infrared. As a result of these trials the Air Ministry’s Committee on Air Defence, chaired by Sir Henry Tizard, employed Jones from January 1936 to work at the Clarendon Laboratory on the development of an airborne infrared detector which could be mounted on night fighters. In October 1936 he was appointed as a Scientific Officer and full-time member of Air Ministry staff. In January 1938 the airborne infrared project was terminated. After an initial decision to send Jones to the radar establishment at Bawdsey, Suffolk was reversed, he was posted to the Admiralty Research Laboratory, Teddington, Middlesex. This move was clearly a disappointment to Jones who viewed it as an ‘exile’ from the important task of air defence research. His stay at Teddington was short-lived, however, and in September 1939 he was attached to the intelligence services to investigate the German application of science to air warfare. This move to intelligence work proved to be a masterstroke as Jones proceeded to play a vital role during the Second World War in identifying and counteracting German weapons developments. He built up a small staff at the Air Ministry, and arranged in 1940 for the transfer of his close friend from Oxford, Charles Frank, from the Chemical Research Establishment, Porton, Wiltshire. An early R.V. Jones 7 NCUACS 95/8/00 success was the identification and jamming of the radio navigational beams systems used by the German airforce to guide bombers to their targets. This achievement established his reputation and in 1941 Jones was promoted to Assistant Director of Intelligence (Science). He continued to make important contributions to the Allied war effort, playing significant roles in the success of the Bruneval Raid in 1942, the development of ‘Window’ and the Allied understanding of the German V1 and V2 rockets. A full description of Jones’ work during the war can be found in his autobiographical account Most Secret War (Hamish Hamilton, London, 1978), published in the United States as The Wizard War. In 1946, despite promotion to Director of Intelligence, Jones decided to leave Government service because of his unhappiness at proposals for the post war organisation of scientific intelligence. He applied for the vacant chair of Natural Philosophy at the University of Aberdeen and was successful, thanks in part to the vigorous support of Sir Winston Churchill. At the request of Churchill in 1952 he returned briefly to intelligence work as Director of Scientific Intelligence at the Ministry of Defence but this proved to be a largely unsatisfactory experience and he resumed his academic duties in Aberdeen at the end of the following year. Upon his appointment to the chair of Natural Philosophy Jones was faced with a decision over which direction his research should take. His work for the Air Ministry had kept him out of academic research for about ten years and placed him at a disadvantage to many contemporaries. Much of his earliest research after the War related to crystal growing and under his guidance the Department of Natural Philosophy became a world leader in this field. During his years at the University of Aberdeen, however, the main focus of his research was the development of instruments capable of precise measurement, such as optical levers, capacitance micrometers, microbarographs and tiltmeters. His ability to design highly sensitive instruments led to a number of important scientific contributions, highlighted perhaps by his work on the radiation pressure of light. Despite little teaching experience at the time of his appointment in 1946 Jones proved to be a popular lecturer. He captured the interest of his students by enlivening lectures with a variety of demonstrations, including the firing of a pistol to illustrate momentum conservation. Unfortunately Jones’ later years at the University of Aberdeen were clouded by disagreements with colleagues, particularly over the proposals of the Robbins Committee to expand higher education, to which he was opposed. He retired in 1981. Jones remained busy following his retirement. He travelled widely to give lectures and attend conferences, frequently visiting the United States where he was held in very high esteem in intelligence circles. He also continued to serve on Royal Society and other committees in London until his arthritis made travelling from Aberdeen difficult. He died on 17 December 1997. R.V. Jones 8 NCUACS 95/8/00 Jones contributed numerous research papers to scientific periodicals and a selection of these were published in 1988 under the title Instruments and Experiences (John Wiley & Sons). He also wrote and lectured extensively on defence and intelligence issues, education, the history of science and a variety of science-related issues. His best known publication, Most Secret War, achieved distinction as both a critical and commercial success and a follow up was published in 1989, Reflections on Intelligence (Heinemann). Jones played an active role in public life after the Second World War, acting as chairman of numerous government committees and other bodies. These include the Infra-Red Committee of the Ministries of Supply and Aviation, 1950-1964 and the Air Defence Committee Working Party of the Ministry of Defence, 1963-1964. He also served the Royal Society in a number of capacities. He was a Vice-President, 1971-1972, Editor of Notes and Records of the Royal Society, 1969-1989 and Chairman of both the Paul Instrument Fund Committee, 1962-1984 and the British National Committee for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine, 1970-1978. Jones was accorded numerous honours and awards. He was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society in 1965. For his intelligence work during the War he received the CBE in 1942 and the CB in 1946 and was also honoured by the United States Government with the Medal of Freedom with Silver Palm in 1946 and the Medal of Merit in 1947. The high esteem in which Jones was held across the Atlantic was further demonstrated in 1993 when the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) established the R.V. Jones Intelligence Award in his honour and made him the first recipient. His achievements were also given greater recognition at home with his appointment as a Companion of Honour in 1994. For further information about Jones see ‘Reginald Victor Jones’ by Sir Alan Cook, Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 45, 1999, 239-254. DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION The material is presented in the order given in the list of contents. It covers the period from 1928 to 1998. Section A, Biographical, documents Jones’ life from 1928 to 1997, including papers relating to his appointment at the University of Aberdeen as well as the numerous honours and awards he received.