The Nuclear Race
The Cold War focus in the late 1940’s included missle development. The development
of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass distruction including the NIKE sites, Atomic bombs and any other large distructive looking weapons. The intent was souly to intimidate. The US spent billions of dollars on missle sites, submarines and underground silos to house these weapons.
The Manhattan Project was developed in the early 1940's during the Roosevelt Administration.
Albert Einstein fled Nazi Germany and Enrico Fermi fled Facist Italy and both where concerned that the Axis countries would develop this technology. Roosevelt didn't really see the need for it but agreed to start what was know as the Manhattan Project. The US spent 2 billion dollars on the project and the first bomb was tested in 1945.
In 1949 the Soviet Union tests their own atomic bomb.
"President Truman responded by reevaluating the United States position in the world and called for the United States to build up its conventional and nuclear weapons to halt the spread of Soviet influence around the globe." (Cold War Museum, page titled: Soviet Bomb Test 2nd par.)
source: http://www.coldwar.org/articles/40s/index.asp
Albert Einstein fled Nazi Germany and Enrico Fermi fled Facist Italy and both where concerned that the Axis countries would develop this technology. Roosevelt didn't really see the need for it but agreed to start what was know as the Manhattan Project. The US spent 2 billion dollars on the project and the first bomb was tested in 1945.
In 1949 the Soviet Union tests their own atomic bomb.
"President Truman responded by reevaluating the United States position in the world and called for the United States to build up its conventional and nuclear weapons to halt the spread of Soviet influence around the globe." (Cold War Museum, page titled: Soviet Bomb Test 2nd par.)
source: http://www.coldwar.org/articles/40s/index.asp