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The
Manhattan Project was a research and development project that produced the first
atomic bombs during
World War II . It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of
Major General
Leslie Groves of the
US Army Corps of Engineers . It began modestly in 1939, but grew to employ more than 130,000 people and cost nearly US$2 billion (the equivalent of about $26 billion now). Although it operated under a tight blanket of security, it was penetrated by Soviet
atomic spies . The first device ever detonated was an
implosion-type nuclear weapon in the
Trinity test (pictured) , conducted at New Mexico's
Alamogordo Bombing and Gunnery Range on
16 July 1945 . Project personnel participated in the
Alsos Mission in Europe, and in the
bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki . After the war the Manhattan Project conducted weapons testing in
Operation Crossroads , developed new weapons, established the network of
national laboratories , supported medical research into
radiology , and laid the foundations for a
nuclear navy . It was replaced by the
Atomic Energy Commission and the
Armed Forces Special Weapons Project in 1947. (
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