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Comment by dba7dba | Hacker News Reader

> Don't create a weapon, if you don't want your enemies to have it too.

I'm thankful US Manhattan Project went on to successful completion, and not cancelled with above reasoning.

The series "The Man in the High Castle" shows what could've happened IF Hitler first got his nukes before US did. Most would agree that Hitler would've used it on London/NYC/DC with no qualms...

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I totally agree with the reasoning at the time to go ahead with the Manhattan Project. We didn't know if the Germans or Japanese were close to creating an atomic bomb themselves. But after the war we learned that neither the Germans nor Japanese were anywhere near close. On the other hand, thanks to Klaus Fuchs and other pro-Soviet workers on the Manhattan Project, secrets were passed to the Soviets (yes, our allies in the war, but everybody knew that after the war that they wouldn't be) that allowed the Soviets to build their own bomb just 4 years later. In retrospect, without the Manhattan Project, who knows when anyone would have invented the atomic bomb. Maybe nobody for decades.

> that allowed the Soviets to build their own bomb just 4 years later

I think (not sure) Andrei Sakharov referred to Klaus Fuchs materials as a 'distraction'. Meaning it actually impeded their progress due to interference by Soviet political leaders. That's in line with a comment about the true nature of nuclear weapons 'secrets'. The secret isn't the design. The secrets are in the skills and technologies needed to manufacture a weapon. Which makes me think Klaus Fuchs and others were basically idiots.

One maybe USSR would have created one 10 or 20 years later, while USA would have none... Hindsight is 20/20.

Why do you think no other country could match USA R&D now or in foreseeable future?

Considering Sputnik happened, it's totally possible that USSR could've developed nukes if US had no Manhattan Project.

And if that had happened, US (and rest of world) would've been really screwed. Manhattan Project used 1/7 of all electricity generated in US at the time. No way such gigantic project could've been conceived and completed in peace time in US. And definitely not fast enough if USSR had developed it first.

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