Editing Manhattan Project

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The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' was the [[United States of America|United States]]-led effort to develop the [[atomic bomb]] during [[World War II]] and played a central role in ending the conflict. It resulted in the creation of [[Earth]]'s first [[nuclear weapon]]s, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Atom Bomb Blues (novel)|Atom Bomb Blues]]'', ''[[Come Friendly Bombs... (short story)|Come Friendly Bombs...]]'') with massive implications for the [[Cold War]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Endgame (novel)|Endgame]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[Cold War (TV story)|Cold War]]'', et al) 

== History ==

=== Early nuclear development ===
In the years following [[World War I]], [[Germany]] played host to a vast [[Science|scientific]] community, working in establishments such as the [[Kaiser Wilhelm Institute]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Alchemists (audio story)|The Alchemists]]'', [[PROSE]]: ''[[Just War (novel)|Just War]]'') Among these scientists were [[physicist]]s [[Werner Heisenberg]] and [[Wolfgang Pauli]]. Their work in the field was followed by American scientist [[Professor]] [[Robert Oppenheimer]] while he was studying at [[Göttingen]] in Germany. Oppenheimer later returned to the United States and began [[Teacher|teaching]] was he had learned at [[Caltech]] and [[Berkeley]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Atom Bomb Blues (novel)|Atom Bomb Blues]]'') 

When [[Adolf Hitler]] and the [[Nazi]]s came to power in Germany in [[1933]], [[Albert Einstein]] and [[Fritz Haber]] were among the scientists which fled to the US. Scientists at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute also learned how to split the [[atom]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Alchemists (audio story)|The Alchemists]]'') In [[1937]], [[alien]] observer Professor [[Linus Woolf]] at [[Sedgwick College]] argued that [[human]]ity was becoming too [[Violence|violent]] and feared what may happen if a man such as Hitler developed atomic weaponry. Professor [[Charles Lewis]] objected on the grounds that evidence showed humanity had actually become overall more [[peace]]ful. The [[First Doctor]] also objected, claimed there was no proof Hitler would ever develop such [[weapon]]s. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Entanglement (audio story)|Entanglement]]'') 

By the first [[month]] of the [[Pacific War]] in [[Asia]] in [[August]] 1937, the [[Tong of the Black Scorpion]] had secretly constructed a [[nuclear reactor]] inside the mountain of [[T'ai Shan]] in [[Shangdong]] province, [[China]], as part of a plot to capture [[Magnus Greel]]. This technically made the Tong the world's first nuclear power. [[Sung-Chi Li]], a double agent working for the [[Imperial Japanese Army]], almost made the reactor go critical but the [[Fourth Doctor]] stabilised it. He and [[Romana I]] then buried the reactor inside the mountain beneath tonnes of [[concrete]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Shadow of Weng-Chiang (novel)|The Shadow of Weng-Chiang]]'')

The [[War Lord]]s and [[the War Chief]] attempted to help Germany win the war by devising a winning strategy. Under the guise of the [[Black Coven]], the War Lords constructed a primitive nuclear reactor in the [[basement]] of [[Heinrich Himmler]]'s private [[castle]] of [[Drachensberg]]. The Coven aimed to create nuclear weapons the Germans could use to neutralise the larger landmasses of [[North America|America]], [[Russia]] and China. Shortly after the beginning of the [[Invasion of Poland|German invasion]] of [[Poland]] in [[September]] [[1939]], [[Seventh Doctor]] made the reactor go critical and the castle was obliterated, wiping out the Coven and ending their influence on the war. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Timewyrm: Exodus (novel)|Timewyrm: Exodus]]'')

=== The world war and the nuclear arms race ===
On [[7 December]] [[1941]], the United States entered World War II when the [[United States Navy|US Navy]] in [[Pearl Harbor]] was attacked by the forces of the [[Japanese Empire]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Only Connect (short story)|Only Connect]]'') The Americans thus found themselves in a race against the Germans to develop atomic weaponry. The Seventh Doctor described the race as "a close-run thing". ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Colditz (audio story)|Colditz]]'') The Americans recruited Robert Oppenheimer to their own programme, the Manhattan Project, for his expertise. He was tasked with calculating the critical mass of [[Uranium|uranium 235]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Atom Bomb Blues (novel)|Atom Bomb Blues]]'') 

Earth's first official nuclear reactor was built under a [[sport]]s stadium in [[Colorado]] in [[1942]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Shadow of Weng-Chiang (novel)|The Shadow of Weng-Chiang]]'') 

In the same year, [[Louisa von der Eck]], a vengeful member of the [[German Empire|Imperial German]] nobility, attempted the complex process of extracting plans for an atomic bomb from a [[Utopia window]]. She created a virtual universe in which an [[Winston Churchill (I Was Churchill's Double)|extremist Winston Churchill]] had the [[blueprint]]s imprinted in his [[mind]] via [[hypnosis]]. She planned to hand them over to Hitler so Germany could get revenge for World War I. The [[Ninth Doctor]] and the real [[Winston Churchill]] shattered the Utopia window and Lady Louisa was ripped to shreds trying to save it. The Doctor then removed the blueprints before Churchill could insist on using them for [[United Kingdom|Britian's]] benefit. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[I Was Churchill's Double (audio story)|I Was Churchill's Double]]'') 

The [[Allies]] assembled a team of three dozen physicists and [[engineer]]s to work on the Project ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Come Friendly Bombs... (short story)|Come Friendly Bombs...]]'') which included Americans, British, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Endgame (novel)|Endgame]]'') Germans ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Alchemists (audio story)|The Alchemists]]'') and [[Hungary|Hungarians]]. The team was led by Oppenheimer ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Atom Bomb Blues (novel)|Atom Bomb Blues]]'') and [[Neils Bohr]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Come Friendly Bombs... (short story)|Come Friendly Bombs...]]'') They set up a research facility in [[Los Alamos]] in [[New Mexico]], in a compound built around the converted [[Los Alamos Ranch School]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Atom Bomb Blues (novel)|Atom Bomb Blues]]'', ''[[Come Friendly Bombs... (short story)|Come Friendly Bombs...]]'') 

One [[Saturday]] evening in [[March]] [[1943]], the [[Third Doctor]] materialised [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] in Bohr's office. He inspected Bohr's notes and then administered discrete corrections, ensuring the Project would succeed. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Come Friendly Bombs... (short story)|Come Friendly Bombs...]]'') 

In [[October]] [[1944]], the Seventh Doctor and [[Ace]] arrived at [[Colditz Castle]]. The Nazis confiscated Ace's [[Walkman]], which contained [[Anachronism|anachronistic]] [[laser]] [[technology]] useful to the German nuclear research programme. The arrival of [[Elizabeth Klein]] from [[Alternate timeline (Klein's Story)|an alternate future]] alerted the Doctor to an impending change in the timeline. He made sure to recover the Walkman before he departed to deny its secrets to the Germans. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Colditz (audio story)|Colditz]]'') In [[1945]], the Allies invaded Germany ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Made of Steel (novel)|Made of Steel]]'') and overran the nuclear research facilities and [[V1 flying bomb|V1]] and [[V2 rocket|V2]] [[rocket]] sites. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Timewyrm: Exodus (novel)|Timewyrm: Exodus]]''). The [[Third Reich]] [[surrender]]ed in [[May]] 1945. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Just War (novel)|Just War]]'', [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Just War (audio story)|Just War]]'') 

Now enjoying a monopoly on the nuclear project, the Americans prepared to test the new bomb in [[July]] 1945. Hungarian scientist [[Edward Teller]] was worried by his theory that the detonation of such a weapon would ignite all the [[hydrogen]] atoms in Earth's atmosphere and result in an chain reaction that would destroy the [[planet]]. He had heated arguments with Oppenheimer on this issue. Oppenheimer respected Teller but was prepared to take the risk. Teller took this as a snub and an insult.

The test detonation, codenamed [[Trinity (Manhattan Project)|Trinity]], took place at 45 [[second]]s past 5:29 am on [[Monday]], [[16 July]] 1945 in the [[Jornada del Muerto]] [[desert]]. It was a complete success, signalling the completion of the Manhattan Project. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Atom Bomb Blues (novel)|Atom Bomb Blues]]'')
 
=== Deployment ===
[[File:Big Momma.jpg|thumb|220x220px|[[Big Momma]], one of the first [[atomic bomb]]s. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Sky Jacks (comic story)|Sky Jacks]]'')]]
Despite Germany's defeat, [[Japan]] continued to fight on in the war's [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] theatre. The Allied scientists and [[politician]]s debated whether the newly developed bomb should be deployed against the Japanese. Some of the scientists, aware of the bomb's destructive power, argued a demonstration on an uninhabited [[island]] may be enough to convince the Japanese to surrender. A counter-argument was concerned with the observed Japanese fanaticism and feared the continuation of conventional warfare could extend the Pacific War for up to five years. [[President]] [[Harry S. Truman]] ultimately decided to deploy the bomb against Japanese [[City|cities]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Endgame (novel)|Endgame]]'')

Three bombs were assigned Japanese targets: [[Big Momma]] against [[Kyoto]], [[Little Boy]] against [[Hiroshima]] and [[Fat Man]] against [[Nagasaki]]. The first of these bombs were lost en route on [[5 August]] but the two subsequent bombs struck their targets killing a quarter of a million Japanese people between them. Japan surrendered on [[2 September]] 1945, marked as [[VJ Day|Victory in the Pacific Day]], ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Sky Jacks (comic story)|Sky Jacks]]'') bringing an official end to World War II. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Base of Operations (short story)|Base of Operations]]'')

=== Legacy and controversy ===

The Manhattan Project created the world's first [[nuclear weapon]]s, which went on to characterise much of the later [[20th century]] [[Politics|political]] climate.

Some of the Manhattan Project scientists regretted the use of the bomb against Japan and secretly passed on their research to the [[Soviet Union]]. In [[1949]], the Soviets developed their own atomic weaponry, breaking the US monopoly. During the [[Korean War]], [[General]] [[Douglas MacArthur]] advocated dropping atomic bombs on China. President Truman removed him from his post for the suggestion. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Endgame (novel)|Endgame]]'') The resulting nuclear standoff characterised the [[Cold War]], which promised [[mutually assured destruction]] should it ever escalate into a [[nuclear war]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Cold War]]'')

Despite creating the weapon which won the war, Oppenheimer never won the trust of [[United States government|his own government]], owing to the onset of the Cold War. Before World War II, Oppenheimer had been drawn towards radical politics during his relationship with [[Jean Tatlock]]. His [[marriage]] to [[Kitty Oppenheimer]] later moderated his ideology but the US wanted to avoid the risk of a [[Communism|communist]] leading the nuclear programme and Oppenheimer was put on trial over the matter of his security clearance after the war. Edward Teller even testified against him at the trial and the two became mortal enemies. Teller, for his own part, had stuck to his apocalypse theory right up until the moment of the Trinity detonation. When he was proved wrong, he was deeply embarrassed. This totally transformed his ideology, turning him from an ardent opponent to an ardent proponent of nuclear proliferation. He continued working with the Americans to bring this about and later became known as the father of the [[hydrogen bomb]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Atom Bomb Blues (novel)|Atom Bomb Blues]]'')

In the [[1950s]] and [[1960s]], [[Harold Macmillan]] in Britain and [[Charles de Gaulle]] in [[France]] developed their own [[Nation|countries]]' nuclear programmes. [[Counterculture movement|Counter-cultural]] opposition to nuclear weapons manifested in the form of the [[Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament]], some members of which expressed a preference for a prolonged war against Japan as opposed to living in a world in which nuclear weapons existed. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Come Friendly Bombs... (short story)|Come Friendly Bombs...]]'') [[Peter Morley]] thought of Oppenheimer as someone who was so caught up in his work that he never stopped to consider what he was doing. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Scales of Injustice (novel)|The Scales of Injustice]]'') [[Barbara Wright]] was horrified by the prospect of nuclear war, despite her [[Conservative Party|conservative]] outlook; she claimed to have a very conservative view of the bomb as well. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Nothing at the End of the Lane (short story)|Nothing at the End of the Lane]]'')

The Project also heralded the dawn of the [[nuclear age]]. People in the immediate post-war period were optimistic about the prospect of cheap and efficient [[nuclear power]]. By the [[1970s]], however, [[Jo Grant]] was disappointed by its failure to materialise. Indeed, the reactor of the [[Durlston Heath]] [[nuclear power plant]] quickly grew expensive and obsolete and was likely to be decommissioned. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Harvest of Time (novel)|Harvest of Time]]'')

Numerous extraterrestrial forces notes the destructive powers unleashed by the Manhattan Project brought [[human]]ity into an age in which it could destroy itself. Several species attempted to exploit this towards their own ends, including the [[Timewyrm]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Timewyrm: Exodus (novel)|Timewyrm: Exodus]]''), [[Hades]] among the [[Immortal]]s ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Deadly Reunion (novel)|Deadly Reunion]]'') and the [[Horofax]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Storm of the Horofax (audio story)|Storm of the Horofax]]'') [[The Master]] tried to spark [[World War III]] by firing the nuclear-powered [[Thunderbolt]] missile at the [[World Peace Conference]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Mind of Evil (TV story)|The Mind of Evil]]'') the tensions of which were very narrowly defused by Sir [[Reginald Styles]] at a second conference. ([[TV]]: ''[[Day of the Daleks (TV story)|Day of the Daleks]]'')

[[The Doctor]]'s own attitude towards the Manhattan Project remained more nuanced. A number of his later incarnations expressed disapproval at the deployment of the atomic bombs. The [[Eighth Doctor]] was not convinced by the argument that the shortening of the war justified Hiroshima. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Endgame (novel)|Endgam]]''[[Endgame (novel)|e]]) The [[Eleventh Doctor]] called the bombing "needless", although [[Captain]] [[Lasseter (Sky Jacks)|Lasseter]] of the ''[[Sky Jack]]'' objected. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Sky Jacks (comic story)|Sky Jacks]]'') The Seventh Doctor named Hiroshima in particular as one of the horrors of the Second World War on numerous occasions. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Timewyrm: Exodus (novel)|Timewyrm: Exodus]]'', ''[[Just War (novel)|Just War]]'', ''[[Atom Bomb Blues (novel)|Atom Bomb Blues]]'')

However, with regard to the Manhattan Project itself, the Doctor seemed more accepting. The Seventh Doctor expressed revulsion for the fate of Hiroshima and the future nuclear proliferation, but he was nevertheless willing to assist the scientists with their calculations and root out groups seeking to interfere with the Project towards nefarious ends. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Atom Bomb Blues (novel)|Atom Bomb Blues]]'') The Third Doctor harboured a philosophical outlook. He told Jo Grant that there may come a time in human history where nuclear weapons become necessary, hence his own motivation to nudge the Project along in March 1943. He told Jo that as long as human [[morality]] kept pace with advances in technology, then the invention of the atomic bomb was no more a black mark on human history than the invention of the [[knife]] or the [[firearm]] before it. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Come Friendly Bombs... (short story)|Come Friendly Bombs...]]'')

=== Alternate timelines ===
In [[Alternate timeline (Klein's Story)|an alternate timeline]] which branched off from the German confiscation of [[Ace]]'s [[Walkman]] in at [[Colditz]] in [[October]] [[1944]], they examined the device and used the [[laser]] technology to accelerate their own nuclear programme. [[Third Reich|The Reich]] invented nuclear weapons first and bombed [[New York City]] and [[Moscow]], forcing the United States and the [[Soviet Union]] to [[surrender]], and won [[World War II]]. This timeline was averted after [[Johann Schmidt]], an alternative version of [[the Doctor]]'s [[Eighth Doctor|eighth incarnation]], manipulated [[Elizabeth Klein]] into [[Time travel|travelling back in time]] to October 1944, altering the Seventh Doctor to the divergence. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Klein's Story (audio story)|Klein's Story]]'')

== Parallel universes ==
[[Parallel universe (Atom Bomb Blues)|One parallel universe]], in which the Manhattan Project played out very similarly, was infiltrated by a [[Japanese-American]] doomsday [[cult]] from [[N-Space]], led by [[Imperial Lee]] and [[Lady Silk]], based at the [[Chapel of the Red Apocalypse]]. Their pawn, [[Ray Morita]], was forced to infiltrate the Manhattan Project with a view to making Edward Teller's theory a reality by applying doomsday particle calculations to the Trinity detonation. They hoped to ignite not just the world but the whole [[universe]] in an explosive chain reaction so large, it would reverberate throughout the [[multiverse]] and alter the history of the war in [[Parallel universe|every other universe]] to one in which the [[Japanese Empire]] emerged victorious.

The Seventh Doctor and Ace thought the plan absurd, the former very much doubting its viability but getting involved anyway just to be on the safe side. Through the Doctor's own interference in the Manhattan Project, the scientists were left with enough uncertainty to delay Trinity by one [[day]]. It occurred [[Tuesday]], [[17 July]] [[1945]] at 5am. Unaware of the change, the cult attempted their plans to early and either fled or died trying to escape the facility.

The Doctor's own motive for visiting this universe had been to convince Teller that his calculations were wrong. The Doctor wanted save him from his embarrassment and thereby spare the world from the nuclear proliferation in which he was to play a leading role. In this, the Doctor failed. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Atom Bomb Blues (novel)|Atom Bomb Blues]]'')

In the virtual universe created by [[Louisa von der Eck]]'s [[Utopia window]], Britain came to terms with Germany after the latter gained the upper hand in the First World War, and was occupied by the Germans in the [[1920s]]. The US was still researching nuclear weaponry by [[1942]], which the extremist [[partisan]] [[Winston Churchill (I Was Churchill's Double)|Churchill]] hoped he could use to overthrow the German conquerors of [[Kaiser]] [[Wilhelm III]] and [[General]] [[von Moltke (I Was Churchill's Double)|von Moltke]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[I Was Churchill's Double (audio story)|I Was Churchill's Double]]'')

=== Known Worlds ===
Among the [[Known Worlds]] of [[Germania]], [[parallel universe]]s in which the [[Nazi]]s won the Second World War, several worlds saw [[Germany]] win the race to develop [[nuclear weapon]]s. [[Germania LD]] was among them, where an [[atomic bomb]] was used to destroy [[Leeds]] in a demonstration and [[Coventry]] was threatened with another, leading the British to [[surrender]]. On the [[Terra Optimus]], [[Germania I]], Leeds and Coventry were both bombed, reducing them to [[Radiation|radioactive]] craters.

They were also introduced into the rogue [[Germania LXVIII]] after the [[Greater German Reich]] deposed of the [[Adolf Hitler (Germania LXVIII)|native Hitler's]] [[Communism|communist]] regime. An atom bomb was dropped on [[Stalingrad]], despite the standing [[alliance]] between Germany and [[Russia]].

On another Germania, the bomb was used to obliterate the German-occupied City of [[London]] at the suggestion of [[August Hitler]] when the [[Empire of Empires]]' [[Roman Expeditionary Force]] invaded during the [[Second Time Front]]. The [[Roman Empire|Roman legions]] defeated the Germans but tended to avoid this world afterwards.

On over half of the Germania worlds, the United States did not become involved in World War II. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Warlords of Utopia (novel)|Warlords of Utopia]]'')

== Behind the scenes ==
According to the non-narrative book ''[[Doctor Who The Official Annual 2011]]'', in an [[alternate timeline]] in which the [[Eleventh Doctor]] never discovered the [[Ironside Project|Ironsides]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Victory of the Daleks (TV story)|Victory of the Daleks]]'') they turned the tide of World War II and took the fight to Germany. After the war was won, [[Winston Churchill]] was pressured by [[Joseph Stalin]] and Harry Truman into having the Ironsides destroyed by a nuclear bomb.[[Category:World War II]]
[[Category:Cold War]]
[[Category:Scientific experiments and research projects]]