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112 Mercer Street
Princeton, New Jersey
March 25, 1945
The Honorable Franklin Delano Roosevelt
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, D.C.
Sir:
I am writing to introduce Dr. L. Szilard who proposes to submit to you
certain consideration and recommendation. Unusual circumstances which I
shall describe further below introduce me to take this action in spite of
the fact that I do not know the substance of the considerations and
recommendations which Dr. Szilard proposes to submit to you.
In the summer of 1939 Dr. Szilard put before me his views concerning the
potential importance of uranium for national defense. He was greatly
disturbed by the potentialities involved and anxious that the United States
Government be advised of them as soon as possible. Dr. Szilard, who is one
of the discoverers of the neutron emission of uranium on which all present
work on uranium is based, described to me a specific system which he devised
and which he thought would make it possible to set up a chain reaction in
un-separated uranium in the immediate future. Having known him for over
twenty years both from his scientific work and personally, I have much
confidence in his judgment and it was on the basis of his judgment as well
as my own that I took the liberty to approach you in connection with this
subject. You responded to my letter dated August 2, 1939 by the appointment
of a committee under the chairmanship of Dr. Briggs and thus started the
Government's activity in this field.
The terms of secrecy under which Dr. Szilard is working at present do not
permit him to give me information about his work; however, I understand that
he now is greatly concerned about the lack of adequate contact between
scientist who are doing this work and those members of your Cabinet who are
responsible for formulating policy. In the circumstances I consider it my
duty to give Dr. Szilard this introduction and I wish to express the hope
that you will be able to give his presentation of the case your personal
attention.
Very truly yours,
A. Einstein.
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lAlbert 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 power- ful 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.
-2-
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 the situation
you may think it desirable to have more 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.
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March 7, 1940
I wish to draw your attention to the development which has taken place since
the conference that was arranged through your good offices in October last
year between scientists engaged in this work and governmental
representatives.
Last year, when I realized that results of national importance might arise
out of research on uranium, I thought it my duty to inform the
administration of this possibility. You will perhaps remember that in the
letter which I addressed to the President I also mentioned the fact that C.
F. von Weizsäcker, son of the German Undersecretary of State, was
collaborating with a group of chemists working upon uranium at one of the
Kaiser Wilhelm Institutes - namely, the Institute of Chemistry.
Since the outbreak of the war, interest in uranium has intensified in
Germany. I have now learned that research there is carried out in great
secrecy and that it has been extended to another of the Kaiser Wilhelm
Institutes, the Institute of Physics. The latter has been taken over by the
government and a group of physicists, under the leadership of C. F. von
Weizsäcker, who is now working there on uranium in collaboration with the
Institute of Chemistry. The former director was sent away on leave of
absence, apparently for the duration of the war.
Should you think it advisable to relay this information to the President,
please consider yourself free to do so. Will you be kind enough to let me
know if you are taking action in this direction?
Dr. Szilard has shown me the manuscript which he is sending to the Physics
Review in which he describes in detail a method of setting up a chain
reaction in uranium. The papers will appear in print unless they are held
up, and the question arises whether something ought to be done to withhold
publication.
I have discussed with professor Wigner of Princeton University the situation
in the light of the information available. Dr. Szilard will let you have a
memorandum informing you of the progress made since October last year so
that you will be able to take such action as you think in the circumstances
advisable. You will see that the line he has pursued is different and
apparently more promising than the line pursued by M. Joliot in France,
about whose work you may have seen reports in the papers.
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Fragmento
April 25, 1940
I am convinced as to the wisdom and the urgency of creating the conditions
under which that and related work can be carried out with greater speed and
on a larger scale than hitherto. I was interested in a suggestion made by
Dr. Sachs that the Special Advisory Committee supply names of persons to
serve as a board of trustees for a nonprofit organization which, with the
approval of the government committee, could secure from governmental or
private sources or both, the necessary funds for carrying out the work.
Given such a framework and the necessary funds, it (the large-scale
experiments and exploration of practical applications) could be carried out
much faster than through a loose cooperation of university laboratories and
government departments.
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VOLVER A EINSTEIN
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