One of the greatest innovations of WWII was, without question, the development of the atomic bomb through the Manhattan Project. By the end of the conflict, warfare was changed forever, and a new level of destruction was reached. However, this did not come immediately, and took many months of research and development before testing was conducted. With that research came countless email correspondence between the researchers.
Letter from Albert Einstein Manhattan Project
With the advancements in nuclear physics in the 30s, people saw the potential of nuclear power as both a source of energy and a weapon. This was thanks to two physicists, Enrico Fermi and Leo Szilard who successfully deciphered the nuclear chain. However, by this point in time, the world was slowly becoming embroiled in WWII and Nazi Germany soon began research on its nuclear program to develop atomic weapons.
This led to concerns about the dangers of letting Nazi Germany develop these weapons unchecked and scientists such as Szilard and Albert Einstein urged the US to develop their nuclear weapons.
This convinced Roosevelt to set up the Advisory Committee on Uranium which would become the Manhattan Project. After gathering the world’s leading scientists and engineers, they eventually developed the first working atomic bomb which they tested in the Trinity Test on July 16, 1945.
To convince Roosevelt to invest in the Manhattan project, he sent a series of letters to the president, highlighting the intersection of scientific discovery, international politics, and the profound impact of individual actions on global events. Here is a section of this famous letter.
Sir:
Some recent work by E. Fermi and L. Szilard, which has been communicated to me in a 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.
Yours very truly,
Albert Einstein
-Albert Einstein, Physcacist.
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