<P> The key raw material for the project was uranium , which was used as fuel for the reactors , as feed that was transformed into plutonium , and , in its enriched form , in the atomic bomb itself . There were four known major deposits of uranium in 1940 : in Colorado , in northern Canada , in Joachimsthal in Czechoslovakia , and in the Belgian Congo . All but Joachimstal were in allied hands . A November 1942 survey determined that sufficient quantities of uranium were available to satisfy the project 's requirements . Nichols arranged with the State Department for export controls to be placed on uranium oxide and negotiated for the purchase of 1,200 short tons ( 1,100 t ) of uranium ore from the Belgian Congo that was being stored in a warehouse on Staten Island and the remaining stocks of mined ore stored in the Congo . He negotiated with Eldorado Gold Mines for the purchase of ore from its refinery in Port Hope , Ontario , and its shipment in 100 - ton lots . The Canadian government subsequently bought up the company 's stock until it acquired a controlling interest . </P>
<P> The key raw material for the project was uranium , which was used as fuel for the reactors , as feed that was transformed into plutonium , and , in its enriched form , in the atomic bomb itself . There were four known major deposits of uranium in 1940 : in Colorado , in northern Canada , in Joachimsthal in Czechoslovakia , and in the Belgian Congo . All but Joachimstal were in allied hands . A November 1942 survey determined that sufficient quantities of uranium were available to satisfy the project 's requirements . Nichols arranged with the State Department for export controls to be placed on uranium oxide and negotiated for the purchase of 1,200 short tons ( 1,100 t ) of uranium ore from the Belgian Congo that was being stored in a warehouse on Staten Island and the remaining stocks of mined ore stored in the Congo . He negotiated with Eldorado Gold Mines for the purchase of ore from its refinery in Port Hope , Ontario , and its shipment in 100 - ton lots . The Canadian government subsequently bought up the company 's stock until it acquired a controlling interest . </P>
where did the us get uranium for the atomic bomb
where did the us get uranium for the atomic bomb
the Belgian Congo
the Belgian Congo