File:Einstein letter to Roosevelt - August 2, 1939.png

Einstein Letter to Roosevelt - August 2, 1939

Reference:

In 1905, Einstein developed quite possibly the most famous equation ever: E = mc^2. Einstein's equation, which states that energy is equal to mass times the speed of light (squared), helps explain the energy that is released by an atomic bomb — but not how to build an atomic bomb.

Einstein himself stated, "I do not consider myself the father of the release of atomic energy." When it comes to the actual blueprint for and building of the atomic bomb, Einstein wasn't tangibly involved at all. In fact, in 1940, Einstein was denied the security clearance he'd need to work on the Manhattan Project by the U.S. Army Intelligence office, which cited his leftist politics as the reason; none of the scientists involved were even allowed to consult with him. But there is another little piece of history that's also tied Einstein to the atomic bomb.

As mentioned in the (Oppenheimer (2023)) film, in 1938 a small team of German scientists managed to split a uranium atom. This split, known as fission, sees an atom's nucleus splitting into two or more nuclei which releases an incredible, explosive amount of energy. Worried that the Germans would be using this finding to build a colossal bomb, Einstein signed a letter (written by physicist Leo Szilard) to the U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939. The letter warned the President of Germany's potential nuclear efforts and urged him to start a nuclear program in the US. Three years later, in 1942, the Manhattan Project officially launched.

In 1964, The New York Times described this as the "letter that started it all," speaking to a popular attitude that cited Einstein's signature as a catalyst for building the atomic bomb in America. But the famed scientist was still never directly involved with making the actual bomb and had often expressed his profound concerns over its use. After WWII, Einstein famously voiced his regrets on signing the letter, saying: "Had I known that the Germans would not succeed in developing an atomic bomb, I would have done nothing." ...

Suffice to say, Einstein and Oppenheimer had an integral relationship that surpassed science and their roles within it. As explored in the film, the pair found familiarity in their mutual adoration of scientific revolution and their struggles with the drastic, world-changing weight of their contributions. In a way, Einstein acts a mirror to Oppenheimer throughout the film — a veteran scientist who's borne the brunt of his mistakes, passing on whatever torches of wisdom he can to Prometheus himself.

• https://mashable.com/article/oppenheimer-movie-einstein-history-explained

GreenPolicy360:

We must additionally note that Leo Szilard, who drafted and then convinced Einstein to sign the "letter that started it all", is a story that is essential to understanding the origins of President Roosevelt's decision to launch what came to be called the Manhattan Project.

In the 1980s, our GreenPolicy360 founder, as a member of the WGA, the Writers Guild of America, worked on a film project that followed this atomic story that began in Europe and carried across the Atlantic to the United States. The community of physics experts in the early years was small. Beginning in the 1930s with experiments and first formulations of the potential for atomic fission power with "bombarding" uranium with neutrons", theories were becoming close to reality, especially in Germany. Leo Szilard and his cohorts who were confronting a German Nazi threat close up began to see that the use of atomic power, as was being aggressively pursued by Nazi scientists, engineers and in war production, could be an imminent danger. A group of these physics professors and others (e.g. Neils Bohr), with great danger to themselves, conspired and acted to deliver imminent atomic capabilities and Nazi planning to the UK and US. This backstory led Szilard to Einstein with "the letter" to be deliver to the President....

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Szilard
• https://greenpolicy360.net/w/File:Einstein_letter_to_Roosevelt_-_August_2,_1939.png
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein%E2%80%93Szilard_letter
• http://www.dannen.com/ae-fdr.html

Oppenheimer

The Movie / July 2023

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYPbbksJxIg
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK6ldnjE3Y0

Trinity Monument, New Mexico

• https://greenpolicy360.net/w/File:Trinity_monument_m.jpg

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