Alister Watson

Alister George Douglas Watson (born 2 May 1908 in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, died 1981 in Haslemere, Surrey) was a mathematician who was identified by several writers as a key member of the Cambridge spy ring.

Education

He attended Winchester School and studied mathematics at Kings College, Cambridge, where he was appointed as a fellow.

Life at Cambridge

At Cambridge, he joined the Communist Party of Great Britain as well as being a member of the Cambridge Apostles. In the summer of 1937, he introduced Ludwig Wittgenstein to Alan Turing. [Hodges, A., "Alan Turing: the Enigma of Intelligence". London: Unwin. 1985.] He was also well acquainted with John Maynard Keynes and other leading figures of the Cambridge academic life of the time.

Notes