ABSTRACT
The Second World War drews Britain into a dangerous confrontation with Germany and Italy in Europe and with Japan in South-east Asia. It was to stretch British military endeavour to near-breaking point, undermine its economy, threaten its empire and require an unprecedented mobilisation of the whole of British society. After December 1941, when the United States entered the war, more resources were poured into nuclear research and British expertise and scientists moved to America to collaborate in what was called the Manhattan project. From then it became essentially an American project, with little feedback to Britain. In July 1943, Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt, by the Quebec Agreement, settled the basis of future collaboration. In return for handing over a huge amount of technical information, the British understanding was that the Americans would share their future findings, but it was only to be on American terms.
