In the summer of 1939, physicist Leo Szilard, along with Edward Teller and Eugene Wigner, grew alarmed by reports that German scientists might be attempting to build a powerful bomb using uranium. They feared that if Nazi Germany succeeded, the consequences could be catastrophic. Szilard approached Albert Einstein, already a world-famous figure, and asked him to help warn the U.S. government. Though Einstein was a known pacifist, he agreed to lend his name and influence after understanding the seriousness of the situation.
On August 2, 1939, Einstein signed a letter drafted by Szilard and addressed to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The letter explained that recent discoveries in nuclear physics made it possible to create an extremely powerful bomb, and that Germany had stopped the sale of uranium from Czechoslovakia—suggesting they might be working on such a weapon. The letter urged the United States to begin its own research into atomic energy and to consider stockpiling uranium. It also recommended that the government establish contact with scientists working in the field.
Roosevelt received the letter in October 1939. Although his initial response was cautious, the warning helped spur the formation of the Advisory Committee on Uranium, which eventually led to the Manhattan Project—the U.S. effort to develop an atomic bomb during World War II. Einstein himself did not work on the bomb and later expressed regret about signing the letter, as he opposed the use of nuclear weapons.
• Title: Letter to President Roosevelt
• Author: Albert Einstein
• Type: Letter
• Publisher:
• Publication time: August 2, 1939
• Link: http://www.fdrlibraryvirtualtour.org/graphics/07-27/7-27-FDR-24a.pdf
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