Did America Share The Secrets Of The Atomic Bomb With Britain?

No. Britain had originally been at the forefront of atomic research. It was largely the efforts of two émigré German scientists, Otto Frisch and Rudolf Peierls, working at Birmingham university, that persuaded both the British and American governments that research in the field of atomic fission held the potential to create a war-winning weapon. Britain and the U.S. later agreed to cooperate on atomic research, and the British scientists moved to America to work on what became the Manhattan project. Under the 'Tube Alloys' agreement, the two powers agreed to collaborate fully in this field even after the defeat of Japan. When the war was over, however, America reneged on the agreement and refused to provide Britain with details of the research. This stance became formalised with the passage of the McMahon Act by the U.S. congress in 1946 which forbade the sharing of atomic secrets with any foreign power. Britain was forced to develop its own bomb independently and successfully tested one for the first time in 1952.

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