He
asked if Einstein would warn the Belgian Queen Mother, whom he knew, to
prevent the large stockpile of uranium ore in the Belgian Congo from
falling into Nazi hands. Einstein agreed to the idea, but he preferred to
write to another friend, the Belgian ambassador. Einstein dictated a
letter in German, which Wigner took down.
Within
days, however, the plan became much more far-reaching when Szilard
discussed the matter with economist Alexander Sachs. Sachs, who was an
unofficial adviser to President Franklin Roosevelt, urged that Einstein
should write directly to the President. If Einstein wrote such a letter,
Sachs promised to deliver it to the President personally.
If
they could gain the ear of the President, the Belgian uranium ore became a
minor issue. Szilard produced a four-page draft letter, which he mailed to
Einstein on July 19. By telephone, Einstein asked to discuss it with
Szilard in person.
In
the last days of July, Szilard returned to Einstein's vacation cabin.
Because Wigner was out of town, Hungarian physicist Edward Teller acted as
Szilard's chauffeur. Einstein again greeted his guests informally, wearing
old clothes and slippers. He served them tea on the shady porch while they
discussed the new approach.
Einstein
was willing to write to the President. As a life-long pacifist, he opposed
the making of weapons, but he could not allow the Nazis sole possession of
such destructive power. His only objection was that Szilard's letter was
long and somewhat awkward. He preferred a shorter message stressing the
main points. Einstein dictated a short draft in German which Szilard took
down.
Over
the next few days, Szilard translated Einstein's dictation, going through
draft after draft. In the end, he prepared both a short and a long
version. On August 2, he mailed them to Einstein. Einstein returned both
versions signed, but he expressed a preference for the longer version.
This was the version, dated August 2, that Szilard gave to Sachs for
delivery to the President.
Einstein's
letter did not reach the President quickly, however, nor did it have much
effect. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland and World War II
began. Sachs finally met with the President on October 11 and presented
Einstein's letter. The President appointed a "Uranium
Committee," but it approved only $6,000 to buy graphite and uranium
for experiments Szilard proposed.
For
the next two years, official skepticism continued to stall U.S. research
efforts. A large-scale U.S. atomic project did not begin until December 6,
1941, one day before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It became the
"Manhattan" Project in August 1942. Research: Gene Dannen 1998;
Einstein letter courtesy Argonne
National Laboratory |