Operation Grapple with the American Manhattan Project in August 1943. Many of Britain's top scientists participated in the British contribution to the Manhattan Project. After the war, fearing that Britain would lose its great power status, the British government resumed the atomic bomb development effort, now codenamed High Explosive Research. The successful test of an atomic bomb in Operation Hurricane in October 1952 represented an extraordinary scientific and technological achievement, but Britain was still several years behind the United States in nuclear weapons technology. In July 1954, the Cabinet decided to develop the hydrogen bomb. The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority Atomic
The Atomic Cafe of the media and public. Though the topic of atomic holocaust is a grave matter, "The Atomic Cafe" approaches it with black humor. Much of the humor derives from the modern audience's reaction to the old training films, such as the "Duck and Cover" film shown in schools. A quote to illustrate what can be perceived as black humor, culled from the movie: "Viewed from a safe distance, the atomic bomb is one of the most beautiful sights ever seen by man," a U.S. Army training film declares. "The Atomic Cafe" was released at the height of nostalgia and cynicism