 |
| world-war-allied-bombing |
 |
| Albert Einstein Einstein was an advocate of Pacifism, and so many people will be surprised to read about the role he played in the Second World War (WWII). Below is a letter Einstein wrote to the then America President Franklin D. Roosevelt about the urgent need to develop the Atomic Bomb before Germany |
Einstein's
Letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Albert
Einstein
- Old
Grove Rd.
- Nassau
Point
- Peconic,
Long Island
August
2nd, 1939
- 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 become
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 a new
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 to be
too heavy for transportation by air.
The
United States has only very poor ores of uranium in moderate quantities. There
is some good ore in Canada and the former Czechoslovakia, while the most
important source of uranium is Belgian Congo.
In view
of this situation you may think it desirable to have some permanent contact
maintained between the Administration and the group of physicists working on
chain reactions in America. One possible way of achieving this might be for you
to entrust with this task a person who has your confidence and who could
perhaps serve in an inofficial capacity. His task might comprise the following:
a) to
approach Government Departments, keep them informed of the further development,
and put forward recommendations for Government action, giving particular
attention to the problem of securing a supply of uranium ore for the United
States;
b) to
speed up the experimental work, which is at present being carried on within the
limits of the budgets of University laboratories, by providing funds, if such
funds be required, through his contacts with private persons who are willing to
make contributions for this cause, and perhaps also by obtaining the
co-operation of industrial laboratories which have the necessary equipment.
I
understand that Germany has actually stopped the sale of uranium from the
Czechoslovakian mines which she has taken over. That she should have taken such
early action might perhaps be understood on the ground that the son of the
German Under-Secretary of State, von Weizsäcker, is attached to the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut
in Berlin where some of the American work on uranium is now being repeated.
Yours
very truly,
Albert
Einstein
Click the link below for more info on the Second World War
No comments:
Post a Comment