Wikipedia:WikiProject Military history/Assessment/Manhattan Project feed materials program

Nominator(s): Hawkeye7 (talk)

This is an article I had been thinking about since I began working on improving the Manhattan Project articles a decade ago. It fills a gap in detailing an important but often neglected aspect of the project, namely how it acquired the vital minerals, particularly uranium, to enable the creation of nuclear weapons. That story is not without drama in its own right, as it moves from Canada's Arctic region to the Congo in Africa. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 04:53, 20 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Support by Nick-D

This is a really interesting topic. I'd like to offer the following comments:

The first para of the lead should note that the ultimate use of the products was to make atomic bombs
Y Added. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 04:37, 16 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I suspect that the para starting with "Ores from the Belgian Congo contained the most uranium" could be omitted from the lead, as it's too detailed and the lead is already quite long
Y Deleted. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 04:37, 16 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Do we know how many Americans went to Shinkolobwe to get the mine going again? (e.g. was this a small number of advisors/project managers or a large labour force?)
Did I say that any went? I cannot find that. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 04:37, 16 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The Post-war section is a bit confusing given it says Groves wanted to re-open Shinkolobwe when the previous section states that this had been done during the war. Had the mine subsequently re-closed?
Y It was in 1943. Clarified. Moved the section header. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 04:37, 16 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

"Howe announced in the House of Commons of Canada that Eldorado had become a crown corporation" - did he give a cover reason for this?
The source says: "'In the interests of military secrecy,' Howe added, he hoped that there would be no embarrassing questions, and there were none."

So I looked it up in Canada's version of Hansard:

Hon. C. D. HOWE (Minister of Munitions and Supply):
I wish to table order in council P.C. 535 of January 27, 1944, and before doing so I will make the following statement.
As a necessary means for the more effective prosecution of the war, the government of Canada has acquired all properties and assets of Eldorado Mining and Refining Limited, by expropriating all the capital shares of the company. Expropriation of the shares became effective as of three o'clock this afternoon.
Eldorado Mining and Refining Limited will in future be operated as a crown company, and will continue to carry on its present operations. The president, the directors and officers of Eldorado Mining and Refining Limited have been invited to continue to act in their present capacities, and have agreed to do so. There will be no change in existing arrangements affecting the employees of the company.
The directors of the company have agreed with the government that a fair value for the properties and assets of the company is represented by a price of $1.35 per share, and the directors and a number of other large shareholders have delivered their shares to the government at that price. The same share value is being offered to all shareholders of the company, and will be paid on delivery of the shares, properly endorsed, to the registrar and transfer agent, the Trusts and Guarantee Company Limited, Toronto,
I regret that for reasons of secrecy I am unable to give the house any further information on this subject. In the interests of military secrecy I hope that no questions about this matter will be asked until the necessity for withholding information no longer applies. I now table order in council P.C. 535 which effects the expropriation of all the capital shares of the company.

Really interesting. If either of the Axis powers had a competent intelligence service, this disclosure would have been a significant hint that the Allies had a nuclear program. Nick-D (talk) 06:04, 16 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I'd suggest noting in the first para of the 'Europe' section that the Asos Mission was operating as part of the liberation of Europe, which is why it was able to reach Belgium.
Y Added. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 04:37, 16 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Nick-D (talk) 02:18, 16 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Those changes look good, and I'm very pleased to support this nomination. Nick-D (talk) 06:04, 16 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]