Eistein First Letter To Roosevelt

This Letters are given here to acknowledgement about the Revolution of Atom Bomb.

These letters shows the steps of Evolution.

Albert Einstein

Old Grove Rd.

Nassau PointPeconic,

Long Island

August 2nd 1939

F.D. Roosevelt

President of the United States

White HouseWashington, D.C.

Sir:

Some recent work by E.Fermi and L. Szilard, which has been com-municated to me in manuscript, leads me to expect that the element uran-ium may be turned into a new and important source of energy in the im-mediate future.

Certain aspects of the situation which has arisen seemto call for watchfulness and, if necessary, quick action on the partof the Administration. I believe therefore that it is my duty to bringto 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 inAmerica - that it may become possible to set up a nuclear chain reactionin a large mass of uranium,by which vast amounts of power and large quant- ities of new radium-like elements would be generated.

Now it appearsalmost 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 thistype, carried by boat and exploded in a port, might very well destroythe whole port together with some of the surrounding territory. However,such bombs might very well prove to be too heavy for transportation byair.
The United States has only very poor ores of uranium in moderatequantities. 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 morepermanent contact maintained between the Administration and the groupof physicists working on chain reactions in America.

One possible wayof achieving this might be for you to entrust with this task a personwho has your confidence and who could perhaps serve in an inofficialcapacity.

His task might comprise the following:a) to approach Government Departments, keep them informed of thefurther development, and put forward recommendations for Government action, giving particular attention to the problem of securing a supply of uran-ium ore for the United States;b) to speed up the experimental work,which is at present being car-ried on within the limits of the budgets of University laboratories, byproviding funds, if such funds be required, through his contacts with yprivate persons who are willing to make contributions for this cause,and perhaps also by obtaining the co-operation of industrial laboratorieswhich have the necessary equipment.

I understand that Germany has actually stopped the sale of uraniumfrom the Czechoslovakian mines which she has taken over. That she shouldhave taken such early action might perhaps be understood on the groundthat the son of the German Under-Secretary of State, von Weizsäcker, isattached to the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut in Berlin where some of theAmerican work on uranium is now being repeated.

Yours very truly,

Albert Einstein