FWIW I think I’ve only ever heard “nuclear arms race” used to refer to the buildup of more and more weapons, more advancements, etc., not a race to create the first nuclear weapon. And the Wikipedia article by that name opens with:
This page uses the phrase ‘A “Race” for the bomb’ (rather than “nuclear arms race”) to describe the US and Nazi Germany’s respective efforts to create the first nuclear weapon. My impression is that this “race” was a key motivation in beginning the Manhattan Project and in the early stages, but I’m not sure to what extent that “race” remained “live” and remained a key motivation for the US (as opposed the US just clearly being ahead, and now being motivated by having invested a lot and wanting a powerful weapon to win the war sooner). That page says “By 1944, however, the evidence was clear: the Germans had not come close to developing a bomb and had only advanced to preliminary research.”
FWIW I think I’ve only ever heard “nuclear arms race” used to refer to the buildup of more and more weapons, more advancements, etc., not a race to create the first nuclear weapon. And the Wikipedia article by that name opens with:
This page uses the phrase ‘A “Race” for the bomb’ (rather than “nuclear arms race”) to describe the US and Nazi Germany’s respective efforts to create the first nuclear weapon. My impression is that this “race” was a key motivation in beginning the Manhattan Project and in the early stages, but I’m not sure to what extent that “race” remained “live” and remained a key motivation for the US (as opposed the US just clearly being ahead, and now being motivated by having invested a lot and wanting a powerful weapon to win the war sooner). That page says “By 1944, however, the evidence was clear: the Germans had not come close to developing a bomb and had only advanced to preliminary research.”
Yeah I think I was probably wrong about this (including what other people were talking about when they said “nuclear arms race”).