The letter from Einstein that ushered in the age of the atomic bomb

On August 2, 1939, Albert Einstein wrote a letter to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. His letter would lead to one of the most important and disruptive inventions in history: the Manhattan Project.

2023 blockbuster movie tells dramatic tale of deadly use of nuclear power Oppenheimer Had it not been for a two-page letter dated August 2, 1939, it might have been little more than science fiction.

“Recent developments in atomic physics have given the impression that uranium may prove to be an important new source of energy,” wrote famed physicist Albert Einstein in a typed letter to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and handwritten and signed by the late physicist. Einstein went on to say that this energy could be used “in the construction of an extremely powerful bomb.”

The letter, expressing doubts about Germany’s decision to halt uranium sales to occupied Czechoslovakia, sparked the creation of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret $2 billion research program in a race to beat Germany to the development of nuclear weapons. Robert OppenheimerIt led the United States into the Atomic Age and led to one of the most profound and devastating inventions in history: the atomic bomb.

On September 10, 2024, Einstein’s important and carefully worded letter Up for auction at Christie’s New YorkIt is expected to sell for more than $4 million. Two versions of the letter have been produced: a shorter version that will be auctioned at Christie’s, and a longer version. Detailed versionIt was hand delivered to the White House and is now in the permanent collection of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library in New York.

“In many ways, this letter marks a watershed moment in the history of science, technology and humanity,” Peter Cranet, senior specialist in Americana, books and manuscripts at Christie’s, told the BBC. “It marked the first time that the US government had directly funded a large-scale scientific study,” he added. “The letter marked a catalyst for ensuring that the US could take full advantage of the technological advances that were happening at the time.”

Dr Bryn Wilcock, Programme Director in the School of Politics, Philosophy and International Relations at Swansea University, and lecturer and researcher in American and nuclear history, agrees. “Most historical accounts of the origins of the atomic bomb begin with a discussion of this letter,” he told the BBC. “The contents of this letter were key to directly inspiring action from President Roosevelt,” he said, highlighting that “the Atomic Heritage Foundation goes so far as to say that this letter was ‘essential’ in persuading President Roosevelt to undertake atomic research.”

Award-winning works OppenheimerBased on the story of the Manhattan Project See the letter This appears in a scene with Oppenheimer and physicist Ernest Lawrence. [letter] “It’s been a part of popular culture since 1945, so it’s already well established, but I think the Oppenheimer film brings it to a new generation,” Clanet says.

Kranet describes Einstein as a “mythical figure” in popular culture, and Oppenheimer certainly possesses that quality, lurking on the film’s fringe until, like the cameo we’ve all been waiting for, his hat flies off to reveal his famous white hair.

Einstein’s equation, E = mc2, described the energy released in nuclear reactions and paved the way for its sinister applications, but his role in building the atomic bomb may be exaggerated in the film: the moving exchange between Oppenheimer and Einstein in the final scene (Oppenheimer: “When I told you those calculations we had the idea that we might set off a chain reaction that would destroy the whole world…”) is “nonsense,” says Cranett.

Einstein, who was viewed with suspicion due to his left-wing views and German descent, “didn’t have the security clearance for it,” he said. In fact, Einstein, an avowed pacifist, distanced himself from the project and said that his role in releasing atomic energy was “a scientist who was not a scientist.”Quite indirect” “.

If there was an instigator, it was Einstein’s former student Leo Szilard. The letter, with a note in Szilard’s pencil reading, “Do not send original!”, remained in Szilard’s possession until his death in 1964. German-born Einstein and Hungarian-born Szilard were Jews who had fled to the United States after the rise of Nazism, and they understood the German threat better than anyone.

The letter was Szilard’s idea, but he insisted that Einstein write it and sign it. Einstein lent considerable prestige, and his Nobel Prize in 1921 made him “the symbol of modern science,” says Kranet. “He has an influence that nobody else has. It seems like other people had tried to warn Roosevelt about what was going on months before, and then all of a sudden you open the door with a letter from Albert Einstein telling you this is what you should do. It’s impressive.”

On July 16, 1945, spectators allowed by security guards shielded their eyes with goggles when a prototype bomb known as “The Gadget” successfully detonated in the New Mexico desert. The result was greeted with both triumph and dread.[1945年7月16日、ニューメキシコ州の砂漠で「ガジェット」として知られる爆弾の試作品が爆発に成功したとき、警備員の許可を得た観客はゴーグルで目を覆った。その結果は勝利と不安の両方で迎えられた。この日、US President Harry S. Truman wrote: In his diary he wrote: “We have discovered the most terrible bomb the world has ever known.”

Germany had surrendered but Japan had not, and it was thought that an unprecedented and terrifying attack on the Japanese ports of Hiroshima and Nagasaki would hasten the end of the war. The day after the atomic bomb test, Szilard presented a petition urging Japan to surrender before taking such drastic action, but the petition did not reach the authorities in time.

On August 6, a bomb codenamed “Little Boy” was dropped on Hiroshima. On August 9, “Fat Man” exploded in Nagasaki. It is estimated 200,000 people Many were killed or injured, and many more died years later from side effects of radiation. To date, these are the only times that nuclear weapons have been directly used in conflict.

Without Einstein’s letter, the Manhattan Project might never have happened. Wilcock notes that Britain was already “trying hard to pressure the United States to support further research,” and that the British-led MAUD report (1941), which studied the feasibility of nuclear weapons, “was crucial in driving U.S. research and development.” But Einstein’s letter merely accelerated the process. Without it, there might have been delays, Wilcock says, and “it is quite likely that the bomb would not have been ready for use by the summer of 1945.”

Einstein, on the other hand, deeply regretted the violence and confusion his 1939 letter had caused. In 1946 he Emergency Committee of Nuclear Scientists To spread awareness of the dangers of nuclear war and propose a path to world peace. Newsweek In his 1947 book, Einstein, the Man Who Started It All, he wrote, “If I had known that the Germans would not succeed in developing an atomic bomb, I would have done nothing for them.” Today, despite Germany having the technical know-how, Does not possess nuclear weapons.

Einstein dedicated the rest of his life to the nuclear disarmament movement. 1954He wrote to Roosevelt:The one big mistake in my life” “.

The atomic bomb fundamentally changed the nature of warfare and sparked a confrontation between East and West. Arms Race Continue to shape international relations. 9 countries For the United States, which possesses nuclear weapons today, many of the dangers we perceive can be traced back to that letter. “This is still a very relevant issue today. It casts a shadow over humanity,” says Kranet. “It’s a stark reminder of where our modern world came from, and a stark reminder of how we got here.”

In July 1955, the name that signed an important 1939 letter to President Roosevelt was posthumously removed. Russell-Einstein ManifestoAn emotively written resolution against nuclear war, proposed by philosopher Bertrand Russell and supported by Einstein. one week before His death. “We appeal to humanity, as humans,” the text reads in part. “Remember your humanity and forget everything else, and the way to a new paradise will be opened to you. If you cannot do this, you risk the death of the whole world.”