The small project Stalin initiated in 1943 could not lead quickly to a Soviet bomb. It is possible, though improbable, that Stalin believed otherwise in 1942. But certainly by the spring of 1943, when the fortunes of war had turned, it is extremely unlikely that Stalin thought a Soviet bomb could affect the outcome of the war with Germany. Besides, the Soviet Union was receiving intelligence about the German atomic project, doubtless from sources in Germany, but also from its agents in Britain.
