This Article From Issue January-February 2011 Volume 99, Number 1 The U. S. Army’s World War II Manhattan Project was a drama unlike any other, with larger-than-life starring personalities, a supporting cast of more than 100,000, cutting-edge science, espionage and diplomatic intrigue. If that wasn’t enough, billions of dollars were gambled in the construction of enormous secret facilities to produce materials for a devastating weapon that might not work.