Page 40 - Neutrons for Sciences and Society

Neutrons for Science
Horowitz closely followed the work of preparation of pre- project, then the design, and the construction. He had innate confidence in those he had chosen to be in the field, namely Robert Dautray, then Jean Chatoux and myself. He wanted to be informed of what was happening on a daily basis, and became angry at any lapse. He was always respected and admired by all who had to work with him. He would always attend meetings
of the Steering Committee up to 1987. Beyond the construction phase of the ILL his role was particularly important at the time
of the negotiations with the British SRC. He always kept the atmosphere friendly but insisted very firmly on the point that he would not accept any use of the ILL by the SRC outside that of a partnership. He gained the appreciation of the British negotiators. Bill Mitchell, the chief proponent for the UK reactor, paid tribute as much for his intelligence and scientific brilliance as for his skill in negotiations. In 1979 Horowitz knew how to convince the partners to finance a Deuxième Souffle (Second Wind, or renewal) for the ILL to keep its vanguard position.
Born in Poland in 1921, Jules Horowitz, called Jules by everyone, emigrated with his family to Germany in 1926. There he acquired a good knowledge of the language and culture of the country. Anti-Semitism, the original reason for leaving Poland for Germany then led them to France in 1932. His father was
a university scholar of the Old Testament. Young and brilliant, Jules was accepted by the Ecole Polytechnique in 1941, but was prohibited from attending by the racial laws. He was also given a place at the Ecole de Mines of Saint Etienne, and joined, but after the first term the Vichy authorities forced his dismissal. Horowitz left for Lyon where he undertook a Physics degree.
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