The total estimated cost of the Atomic program through August 1945 during World War II was $20 billion, which encompassed research, materials, plants, and personnel. Each atomic bomb, Little Boy and Fat Man, had an estimated cost of $5 billion. The discussion highlights the prices of key materials, specifically plutonium-238 and uranium-235, although it does not definitively state which material was more expensive. This information is sourced from Richard G. Hewlett and Oscar E. Anderson, Jr.'s book, "The New World: A History of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, Volume 1, 1939/1946."
PREREQUISITESHistorians, military analysts, economists, and anyone interested in the financial and material aspects of nuclear weapons development during World War II.