The Einstein letter that started it all…
F.D. Roosevelt
President of the United States
White House
Washington, D.C.
Sir:
Some recent work by E. Fermi and
L. Szilard, which has been communicated to me in manuscript, leads me to expect that the element uranium may be turned into a new and important source of energy in the immediate future. Certain aspects of the situation which has arisen seem to call for watchfulness and if necessary, quick action on the part of the Administration. I believe therefore that it is my duty to bring to your attention the following facts and recommendations.
In the course of the last four months it has been made probable through the work of Joliot in France as well as Fermi and Szilard in America - that it may be possible to set up a nuclear chain reaction in a large mass of uranium, by which vast amounts of power and large quantities of new radium-like elements would be generated. Now it appears almost certain that this could be achieved in the immediate future.
This new phenomenon would also lead to the construction of bombs, and it is conceivable - though much less certain - that extremely powerful bombs of this type may thus be constructed. A single bomb of this type, carried by boat and exploded in a port, might very well destroy the whole port together with some of the surrounding territory. However, such bombs might very well prove too heavy for transport by air….
Yours Very Truly,
Albert Einstein
Whether the Manhattan Project (where the Atomic Bomb was created) would have existed without Einstein’s letter is solely a matter of conjecture. But, of course, Einstein conferred considerable authority in many circles, and on winning the Nobel Prize in 1921 he became “the personification of modern science, He had an influence that no one else had,” stated a well-known historian.
Speaking to the Nobel Prize winning chemist Linus Pauling in 1954, Einstein described the letter to Roosevelt as the “one great mistake in my life.” Einstein distanced himself from the project and always insisted that his part in the release of atomic energy was “quite indirect.” Einstein would devote the remainder of his life to campaigning for nuclear disarmament. He was quoted as saying: “Had I known that the Germans would not succeed in developing an atomic bomb, I would have done nothing for the bomb.”
The above letter was drafted by Einstein with the help of physicist Leo Szilard. It was signed by Albert Einstein on August 2, 1939. Roosevelt wrote Einstein back on October 19, 1939, informing the physicist that he had set up a committee consisting of civilian and military representatives to study uranium. In fact, Roosevelt’s approval of uranium research was based on his belief that the United States could not take the risk of allowing Hitler to achieve unilateral possession of “extremely powerful bombs.” This was merely the first decision among many that ultimately led to the establishment of the Manhattan Project.
On September 10, 2024, Einstein’s consequential and carefully worded letter to Roosevelt will be auctioned at Christie’s New York. It is expected to fetch in excess of $4 million.
