Actual+History

Write the Letter Read the following to see what actually happened from Einstein's decision.

**__ Writing the Letter: __** EINSTEIN made the crucial decision to send the letter to FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT providing information on German development of the bomb, and persuading F.D.R. to experiment in nuclear fission. Here is a copy of the letter:  "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 amount 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 the 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 Weizsacker, 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"   **__Manhattan Project:__** That October, in 1939, “the Briggs Committee was appointed to study uranium chain reactions”. Einstein did not contribute very much to the actual production of the bomb. In fact, only two days were spent where he contributed to solving a “theoretical problem [that] involved in separating fissionable material by gaseous diffusion” (Long 1-2). In 1942, the famous MANHATTAN PROJECT was established to compete in the arms race with the Nazi’s to produce the first nuclear bomb. Soon after in 1942, ENRICO FERMI, a physicist, “successfully controlled a nuclear reaction in his reactor called CP-1” in Chicago. The first step to developing access to nuclear energy. Three years later the first atomic bomb was detonated and physicist J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER was quoted after witnessing the blast, “We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed from and says, “Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” I suppose we all felt that one way or another”-J. Robert Oppenheimer. JOSEPH O. HIRSCHFELDER, Chemist is quoted talking about this subject, “At Los Alamos during World War II there was no moral issue with respect to working on the atomic bomb. Everyone was agreed on the necessity of stopping Hitler and the Japanese from the destroying the free world. It was not an academic question, our friends and relatives were being killed and we, ourselves, were desperately afraid” (Thinkquest 1-2). The decision Einstein made whether to write to the president or not forever changed the military power of the world.  __**Bombing of Japan:**__ We defeated the Germans in 1945, and turned our attention to the Japanese. Just around this time, we finished constructing LITTLE BOY, the first atomic bomb. In August 1945, we used the bomb against Japan in Hiroshima and Nagasaki after they refused to surrender. The bomb resulted in about 200,000 instant deaths, and countless after due to cancer and nuclear fallout. Because the United States built the bomb and won the war, the U.S is now a world economic power and a feared nation. **__ Operation Paperclip: __** Militarily, the construction of the atomic bomb changed the world forever. Many individuals involved with the construction of the bomb regretted the decision to make it. Einstein especially, strongly opposed the production and use of the bomb. He believed that after the war ended, many nations would strive to build large-scale weapons of mass destruction, and would eventually cause more destruction than WWII. He was certain that if President Roosevelt had not died before the war ended, then the bombing of Japan never would have taken place. Just a few months before his death, Einstein announced that he had “made one great mistake in my life... when I signed the letter to President Roosevelt recommending that atom bombs be made ; but there was some justification - the danger that the Germans would make them” (Clark 752). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 165%; text-align: left;">The building of the atomic bomb also contributed largely to the Cold War. During Operation Paperclip, (U.S. operation to capture scientists in Peenemunde to research for them) one of the <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 165%;">main objectives was to keep the scientific research and resources away from the Soviet Union (Staff Advisory Committee 1). Eventually, the Soviets did construct a bomb, and many people feared the end of the world in a nuclear war. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 165%; line-height: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: left;">As Einstein's decision truly made the world change, it can be argued that the bomb was a good decision contrary to what Einstein believed. Though many negatives resulted from building the nuclear bomb it can equally be argued that without it more lives would of been lost. The whole modern world as we know it, is a result of a single, simple, decision: to write a letter. Our decisions are powerful. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 26px; text-align: center;">Back