Near the end of World War II , the principal Allied war powers each made plans for exploitation of German science . In light of the implications of nuclear weapons , German nuclear fission and related technologies were singled out for special attention . In addition to exploitation , denial of these technologies , their personnel , and related materials to rival allies was a driving force of their efforts . This typically meant getting to these resources first , which to some extent put the Soviets at a disadvantage in some geographic locations easily reached by the Western Allies , even if the area was destined to be in the Soviet zone of occupation by the Potsdam Conference . At times all parties were heavy-handed in their pursuit and denial to others
Potsdam Conference
Potsdam Conference
German nuclear weapons program